


The Ten Year Difference

by 3_idiots



Category: Free!, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: And Humor because I can't be without it, Angst with a Happy Ending, AoKaga centric, Aomine is not the VILLAIN just sayin' spoilers I suppose? Anyway yeh, Foreshadowing, Kagami is a hard working adult contributing to society, Kagami's Alien Eyebrows, M/M, My First Angst???, Past Relationships, Pining, Sousuke is a wanna be emo boy, There was some shit in the past, Watch as Kags starts liking Mako more than Sou :'D, and I'm not JUST talking about the WRITING here people, and if we're honest shit in the future, is that a thing?, poor Sou, shit now, with a HEAVY SouMako garnish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2018-11-29 16:13:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 76,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11444433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3_idiots/pseuds/3_idiots
Summary: Kagami Taiga is 26 years old.Yamazaki Sousuke is 16.There's a ten year difference between them, but other than that, life is pretty similar.Love, heart break, and healing happens to everyone after all. Age isn't a factor.~~Oh! And basically Kagami is emo!Sousuke's foster parent. Just an fyi.





	1. All Time Low

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ I thought up this idea last Monday, and if I'm honest with myself it has the most solid plot of anything I've ever done. I'm reaaaallllyyyy excited about this idea! And hope that I'll manage to juggle all my updates!
> 
> ~idi2

So, Kagami had to start somewhere, now didn’t he? The real beginning was ten years ago. But honestly, all that was important were the last two years and four months. 

Two years, four months and some change ago, Kagami’s boyfriend had walked out the door with a duffle bag in his fist and a backpack over his shoulder. 

But, that was two years and two months ago. And on the road from there to the present day Kagami had more than kind of failed at getting over that certain relationship. But in his defence, it was two years without him versus eight with him. It was as if Kagami’s life was a scale, and by that logic he wouldn’t get over the breakup until he was 32.

But he was 26, and didn’t feel like spending the next six years moping. Wasting two was more than enough for his taste anyway. Well, it isn’t like he moped and did _nothing else_ , he just… didn’t date, or go out that much if he wasn’t pushed into it by friends, or really change his life. All he did was try to cover up the hole he had in his life. Not even attempting to fill it. 

That changed a month ago. He wanted to fill that hole. But he didn’t want a relationship, it just didn’t feel _necessary_. But Kagami did want something new in his life, something that could become his focus. 

Honestly, he just wanted to take care of something. And he had a spare bedroom. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Kagami had been cleaning when the doorbell rang. It was a weirdly warm January morning, his drapes were open making his _extremely clean_ living room pretty damn bright. Kagami quickly rushed away from the window, half dropping his bottle of windex on the coffee table and tossing his cleaning cloth over his shoulder. 

Today was the day. 

Kagami made it to the door, he unconsciously smoothed down the front of his gray sweater. Kagami didn’t usually think about his clothing but today he wanted to look nice _enough_ but still pretty casual. So that meant light jeans and a sweater with the sleeves rolled up. Even though on any other day people would see him in a hoodie and basketball shorts, no matter the weather. 

Kagami opened the door, hoping the smile on his face wasn’t scary, that tended to happen every now and again. 

Kagami took one look at the person in his doorway and to be honest, for two whole seconds he thought he was about to get robbed.

There was a man in his door way, he was only about four inches shorter than Kagami who stood at a spectacular 6’ 4” himself and didn’t look all that skinny. He had blank teal eyes, messy dark hair, defined eyebrows and an overwhelming frown. His ears were scattered with small spikes and barbells. 

He was wearing a heavy leather motorcycle jacket, black skinny jeans, oversized, black combat boots and a tee shirt that read _‘I Speak Fluent Sarcasm’_ in big white letters. The shirt was black too. 

Kagami’s smile fell and he opened his mouth to ask what the hell the guy wanted when--

“Kagami-san? I’m Hiro Airi, the agent who spoke with you on the phone?” 

Kagami looked down to see a tiny woman in a brown pencil skirt, matching jacket and white blouse. She looked up at him through big, turtle shell glasses, was holding a clipboard and her blonde hair was up in a tight bun. 

Kagami blinked at her two times before it clicked. He looked back at the other man-- _boy_ actually now that he looked harder. This was his foster kid? 

“Uh, hi,” Kagami said as he stepped to the side. “Come in?” 

Emo boy didn’t say a word as he walked in, he kicked off his giant boots-- although he did set them upright against the wall--and walked into the living room with two duffel bags in each hand. The tiny social worker followed after, smiling politely. 

“This is Yamazaki Sousuke,” she explained. She tried to look around his apartment subtly, meanwhile the kid blatantly seemed to be judging the space with those bored out of his damn mind eyes. 

Kagami shut the door and followed after them, still staring at the boy. When he’d applied to be a foster parent he knew he could get any kind of child under the sun. Over the phone, Hiro had mentioned that the kid was 16, which Kagami had found relieving. Kagami didn’t live all that far from the local high school and he could leave the child alone for a bit when he worked odd hours at the restaurant. 

But he wasn’t expecting to get the Juvie poster child, that’s for sure. 

“Uh, hi--” Kagami realized he had no idea what to call the kid. Did he use his last name? They’d just met half a minute ago. Or did he go with first name? He was the adult after all and pretty much the kid’s new guardian. 

“You want something to drink?” he said instead. Sousuke--he’d go with first name in his mind at least--glanced at him over a leather clad shoulder. 

“You got cola?” he asked in a deep voice. Before he walked around Kagami’s big, brown leather sofa and flopped himself down. 

Kagami frowned. The kid wasn’t _straight up_ rude. But he was close. 

“Hiro-san?” Kagami asked, turning back to the tiny social worker. 

“No, I’m fine thank you,” she said. “All I need is for you to sign here and then Yamazaki-kun is all yours,” she held out her clipboard. 

For some reason, that didn’t seem all that appealing. 

Kagami had already gone through the orientation and home inspections though, so turning back now seemed kinda stupid. Plus, he was sure this Sousuke wasn’t _actually_ a hoodlum, just dressed like one. 

So he signed, and the tiny agent gave a less polite more genuinely happy smile before she left. 

The door clicked shut and Kagami walked over into his kitchen, opened his beautifully oversized fridge and snagged a cola off the door. 

Sousuke was still scanning his apartment from his spot on the sofa, with his duffel bags on the floor beside him. 

Kagami tossed him the cola, Sousuke caught it without word. 

“So, what do I call you?” Kagami crossed his arms and asked. 

Sousuke snapped open his drink, his eyes focusing on Kagami’s flatscreen for a moment. “Anything. Last lady liked _‘Damn brat’._ ” 

“Sousuke it is then.” 

“And you’re Kagami?” Sousuke asked, he glanced back up to where Kagami stood for a moment, and was that eyeliner? 

“Yep.” 

“Cool,” Sousuke took a sip of his drink. “Your place isn’t all that shitty,” he also said. 

“Oh, I’m honored, thank you,” Kagami huffed. “So, you wanna move into your room?” 

“Sure.” Sousuke said, just before he lulled his head back to look at the ceiling. 

This was going to be a long day. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke had moved into his room, which consisted of tossing both duffel bags onto the double bed inside it and hanging up his leather jacket. The taking off of the jacket revealed the plethora of rubber, Hot Topic supplied bracelets on both of Sousuke’s wrists. 

Seriously. This kid. 

It was a Sunday and Kagami had gotten off of work so that he could ‘bond’ with his new foster child. Kagami had shown Sousuke around the apartment. The teen grunted about stuff being alright before pulling out his phone and flopping back down on the sofa, typing away. 

Kagami decided not to bother him and went to go change into a tee shirt before going into the kitchen to think up something for lunch. Kagami loved his kitchen, and when picking out this apartment he’d almost fallen on the floor in tears of joy when he saw it. The dark marble countertops were wide, the double, stainless steel sink was huge, the rosewood cabinets were just--mmm--so nice. And it had a tall bar counter that separated it from the living room. 

Kagami decided to be lazy, so he just looked through his fridge and decided on some stir fry. He was rifling through his vegetable drawer when a low voice asked;

“So how old are you?” Kagami looked up from the fridge, to see Sousuke at the bar, leaning on his forearms against the counter. Kagami grabbed a head of cabbage and the small bag of mushrooms he had and set them on the counter. 

“26,” Kagami said, before turning back to the fridge for more vegetables. 

“Huh. Why the fuck did you decide to get a foster kid before 30?” Sousuke asked as he sat down on a bar stool. 

Kagami shrugged. “I wanted something new.” then he froze as he reached for a carrot. “And watch your language,” he huffed. He could practically _feel_ Sousuke roll his eyes. 

“What’s your job?” 

“I work at a restaurant downtown,” Kagami started washing the mushrooms in his sink. 

“Is that why you have a huge kitchen?” Sousuke asked. 

Kagami hummed in agreement. 

Sousuke fell silent after that, and when Kagami glanced up, he saw the kid back on his phone typing lazily with one hand and resting his chin on the other. Kagami snorted as he continued preparing his ingredients. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami was frying up the pork, carrots and onions over at the stove top. He’d kinda been ignoring Sousuke, the kid just cept staring at his phone after all. 

So of course, when the pot he had on the back burner started boiling and he turned to grab the package of noodles, he wasn’t expecting to practically run over the brunnette. He practically threw his chock sticks. 

“Shit!” Kagami gasped. “I have enough people who do that!” 

Sousuke eyes might’ve widened a fraction. But other than that he still looked like a lazy little goth boy. 

“You shouldn’t cuss around minors,” he said. And he smirked. The first expression the kid had shown, proving he wasn’t as brain dead as Kagami assumed. 

“Shit isn’t as bad as fuck,” Kagami grunted as he stepped around Sousuke to get to the noodles.

“Cool, so I can say shit,” Sousuke said, nodding to himself and leaning back into a corner. “What about damn and ass deviations?” 

Kagami rolled his eyes. “Okay fine, just no fuck and--no racial slurs.” 

“Cool.” 

Kagami grumbled to himself as he added the noodles to the pot. “You should use more adjectives to begin with,” then he remembered something. “Oh yeah, do I have to help you pick a school?” 

“Already registered the local one. I'll start back up next week for the last term,” Sousuke explained. 

“Perfect,” Kagami flashed him a grin. Then he turned back to his cooking. He’d need to add the cabbage soon, by then the noodles would cook and-- “Shit.” 

“You like that word--”

“Can you watch this for a second?” Kagami asked, blindly holding out the chopsticks as he fiddled with the burner heat. “I need to make the sauce before it over cooks.” 

Sousuke blinked at him for a moment, “Uh, sure?” and with that Kagami handed over the stove top to the emo kid. 

Kagami made quick work of getting out all his ingredients, and a quick glance at Sousuke showed that he was surprisingly focused. And either half knew what he was going, or just good at faking it. 

Good. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke’s first day with Kagami ended with the guy having to take off his rubber bracelets so that they wouldn’t melt over the pot of stew they had for dinner. Also with the teen’s phone buzzing half a thousand times. The only explanation Sousuke gave was _‘idiot friend’_. Plus Kagami had happened a glance at the screen only to see _‘Shark Boy’_ at the top of the chat. 

And then he just disappeared into his room. 

There wasn’t much more Kagami could expect from a 16 year old, he’d done the same thing after all. Well, minus the cleaning off eyeshadow before bed part. But Sousuke wasn’t _that bad_ with his _‘accessories’_. 

****

###  **➺➺**

The next morning Sousuke didn’t wake up until 11:48. And half an hour later there was some intense knocking, followed by Kagami opening the door to find a short guy--from his vantage point that is-- with long red hair that got in his face, a torn, studs on the shoulders leather vest, a Nirvana tee shirt, torn up red skinny reads and a lip ring. 

His name was Rin, he was not a girl and he almost cried when he found out Sousuke hadn’t told Kagami about him yet. 

****

###  **➺➺**

A week later Sousuke managed to crawl out of bed and to the bathroom at 7:00 am for the first day of the last semester of school. It actually wasn’t that difficult, the guy was in the shower before Kagami even woke up. Why had he been sleeping in for a week to begin with? 

But then, when Sousuke walked out of the bathroom in his uniform, Kagami had to stop making the bento he’d decided to make even though Sousuke didn't ask for one. 

“What the hell are you wearing?” Kagami stared at that idiot from across the bar top. Now, the past week had been pretty okay. Sousuke had helped with lunch when he wanted to and dinner when he thought Kagami was going too slow. He also hung up creepy band posters in his room and stole some of Kagami’s sports magazines without explanation. So far the kid was pretty quiet, only a sarcastic remark or an out of the blue question, such as yesterday’s about if Kagami’s hair color was real. Which was really kinda weird because Sousuke had supposedly known Rin from childhood and Kagami’s hair wasn’t _that_ much brighter than him. 

So yeah, the past week had been pretty okay. But now there was this. 

Sousuke raised an eyebrow at him, his book bag slumped to off his shoulder and onto Kagami’s hardwood floors with a _thunk._

“My uniform,” he grunted. 

And yeah, Kagami saw the _potential_ of a school uniform in what Sousuke was wearing, but in all honestly, it wasn’t. 

Now, in his own high school years Kagami had been more than a bit lazy, always wearing a tee shirt and leaving his jacket open and sliding into some sneaks. But _this!_

The uniform that Kagami had noticed hanging in Sousuke’s closet consisted of a blue button down shirt, blue and black striped neck tie, black blazer with the school’s emblem, and khaki pants. 

Sousuke had that blue shirt completely open, revealing a black tee shirt with a ribcage printed on it, his jacket sleeves were half-assedly rolled up, his tie was so loose it looked more like a necklace, he still had the damn bracelets and he wasn’t even wearing the khakis, but gray skinny jeans and boots that probably weight seven pounds each.

Oh, and the ear piercings and same half dead look on his face. 

Kagami gave the kid a blank look. “Compromise; wear the khakis.” 

Sousuke groaned, “Ri--” 

“Will be wearing khakis,” Kagami cut in. “I talked to his mother over the phone a few days ago. He’ll also have that stupid fake lip ring out too.” 

Sousuke folded his arms, “Is that a bet?” 

Ohohoh, this kid had no idea who he was dealing with. He had ten years of experience in dealing with shit like this. 

“Yes it is, if Rin isn’t in khakis, without the lip ring, and also doesn’t have headphones, you can wear whatever shit you want.” 

Sousuke smiled, “You know I can just text him to change on the way to school, right?” 

Kagami ran a hand through his hair, “And didn’t I hear the guy mentioning having a sister he walks to school every morning? Who relays _everything_ to their mother?” 

Sousuke stiffened. “I’m not doing up the tie.” 

“Didn’t ask you to.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke was late to his homeroom class. He didn’t know it was on the second floor and he’d almost ended up on the roof if he was honest. Although, he wouldn’t be honest. And it wasn’t even his fault. The signs around school were practically useless and the little map they gave him printed on a yellow piece of paper didn’t do shit either. But eventually an upperclassmen had seen him wandering--uh--indirectly searching for his classroom and finally sent him in the right direction. 

And now Sousuke was standing in front of his homeroom class, glaring at a kid in the back who was not only wearing khakis, but was missing a cheap little fake lip ring as well. 

Seriously, his best friend was pathetic. 

Sou’s teacher, a scrawny guy wearing a pollo a size too big, finished up his introduction, followed by Sousuke grunting out a _‘please take care of me’_. 

He’d been through this before. And in the last four years, this was the first school he decided to not be _as much_ of an asshole at. Because for the first time since grade school, he was in a class with Rin. It was a not-so-small miracle that they’d kept in touch when Sousuke had to start moving, but now they were back together again. So the class didn’t get flipped off like he’d done at his introduction to home room in his second year of middle school. 

“Why don’t you sit behind Tachibana-kun, Yamazaki-kun,” the teacher said. Kano-something or other. Sousuke nodded and walked to the empty seat in the middle of the second row from the window, there was a brunette in front of it who was looking towards the window. Rin was in the very last seat a row over. _Lucky bastard._

Sousuke made it to his seat and was about to flop down when the guy one seat ahead turned to face him. 

And he smiled. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke and Rin were walking side by side on their way to pick up Gou from school. Rin was looking overall content, even leaning towards smug. And Sousuke was trying to hide his face behind the gray scarf Kagami had thrown at him before he left. And yeah it was January, and yeah he’d had to button his shirt because it was freezing. But he didn’t really need a damn scarf. 

“So,” Rin said, his hands were shoved into the pockets of his khakis and parts of his red hair fell out of the beanie he’d shoved on. “How did you like class?” 

“Mm,” Sousuke grunted, focusing on the somewhat crowded sidewalk ahead of them. 

“Aw, don’t give me that,” Rin huffed. “You’ve got the best seat in class and that’s all you’re gonna say?” 

“Shut up,” Sousuke said. 

“No! We have a class together for the first time in years and you say all of four words to me,” Rin explained, looking slightly indignant as he adjusted his messenger bag. “Now don’t worry, I’m not offended. In fact I’m happy for you, this is the first time I’ve seen you with outward emotions. Or, that’s a lie, you cried when Gou took your blanket when we were five.” 

“Just fucking stop it, Rin,” Sousuke was trying to burn holes into the concrete below them. Preferably under Rin’s feet. He wouldn’t mind if his friend fell into the sewer system for a bit. 

Rin shorted, “Fine, I won’t shit talk you delicate little flower.” 

“Thanks,” Sousuke bit out. 

The two of them started to near the gates. Sousuke could see Gou standing just inside in a big tan coat and a blue knitted hat. She was probably a lot warmer than he was. This was actually going to be the first time he saw her in a few years, she hadn’t come along with Rin to Kagami’s over the past week. Sousuke was kinda glad. Kagami was a big guy and it would be creepy to see Gou fawning over him. Plus any kind of strange semblance of fondness Rin had for his new foster parent would quickly vanish. 

Although, Kagami was not what Sousuke would describe as a _‘parent’_. For one, he was too young, and he was too… chill. Or something like that. Like he not only thought but expected that Sousuke could be left alone for three minutes without setting something on fire or sticking another piece of metal in his face. 

Which was… a first for Sousuke. 

“Sousuke!!” Gou cried out as she ran towards the pair of them, her smile was bright and her nose matched her hair. 

****

###  **➺➺**

When Sousuke got home, Kagami wasn’t there. But there was a small mountain of sandwiches on the bar counter. Kagami seemed convinced that Sousuke could eat as much as he did. That wasn’t true, after all, Sousuke wasn’t a buffalo. And there was a note. 

_‘Be back after 9. Don’t want to eat it make something else.  
Kagami’_

Then at the bottom of the page--or sticky note--almost like an afterthought was:

 _‘And do your homework’_

Sousuke snorted as he pulled back the saran wrap on the plate of sandwiches. 

Now, Kagami might not be the best talker, or all that coordinated, and got freaky when he found a basketball game on cable. 

But he could fucking cook. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami didn’t work on Sundays. He’d never wanted to and there had been at least one joyful tear when he’d seen the hours for his work week. 

This Sunday was the beginning of week three with Sousuke. 

It was 5:46 in the morning when Kagami emerged from his room in only a pair of boxers. He was hungry. And in Kagami Taiga’s life, hunger outruled sleep. There was no need to be decent because what teenager got up in the morning before 11:00 on a weekend--

Sousuke blinked at him from the sofa, a spoon in his mouth and a striped blue and white bowl of cinnamon toast crunch in his hand. He was in a red My Chemical Romance tee and sweats, with one small black stud in each ear. 

“Why are you awake?” Kagami asked, he rubbed a hand over his eyes. It wasn't even six in the morning. Why was this kid alive? Kagami sure wasn't.

“‘M always awake at this time,” Sousuke said between spoonfuls. 

“Wut?” 

“Yeah, dude,” Sousuke shrugged. “I get up at 5:30, like, look stuff up till 8:00-ish and then Rin wants to video chat for like three hours.” 

“You've been getting up at 5:30 for the last two weeks?” Kagami grunted. 

Sousuke nodded, before turning back to his cereal. 

Kagami treaded over to the kitchen, he was about to open the fridge when suddenly the coffee maker and the power awake enough to think up a nice breakfast became more appealing. 

Kagami got to the coffeemaker, snagged a mug from the cupboard above and when he chose to pour out a cup--it was empty. 

“Oi, Sou, do me a favor tomorrow morning?” 

“What?” 

“Make coffee when you wake up.” 

“Okay.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami could _not_ believe what he was hearing. It was just, impossible. How could this be? How could such an able bodied young man be this way? It went against nature. 

“You don’t even _like_ basketball?” 

Sousuke gave a shrug and a noncommittal grunt from his bed. He was lying across it on a Sunday afternoon with one arm behind his head and his other hand holding his phone four inches from his face. 

Sousuke’s room leaned towards the barren. He had two band posters that Kagami didn't bother focusing on, his room was surprisingly clean. 

Kagami was standing in the doorway of that oddly clean teenage boy’s room doorway, a basketball in his palm and hope in his heart. 

A hope that was quickly crushed. Because his six foot foster child didn’t like basketball. 

“Just never seen what all the hype was about,” Sousuke said, his thumb still moving across his phone. “I mean, I used to swim when I was like… 11 but then I got thrown into the system, so y’know. Kinda got out of it.” 

Then Sousuke turned to look at him, teal eyes bored but still bright. 

“And isn’t it too cold for basketball?” 

“You shut your mouth,” Kagami huffed. “I’ll be at the court a few blocks down.” 

He heard a muffled _‘Kay,’_ as he closed the door. 

Seriously! This _kid!_

****

###  **➺➺**

It was a Wednesday and Somehow the stars had aligned and Kagami was having lunch with his best friend. Or, he probably was. Hopefully the little shit hadn’t disappeared on Kagami mid-rant. 

“And I mean? I’m not sure if he even sleeps because I hear music until two in the morning and he says he wakes up a _five_. I practically got two kids because Rin comes over after school every other day. But then again, Rin’s a nice kid. Speaks fluent English. But he really needs to understand that that lip ring is stupid. Also there’s Gou, the sister. She’s not allowed in the kitchen.” Kagami paused to take a bite of burger number seven. 

“He also doesn’t talk about school, or anything. But it seems like school is this _forbidden topic_ and whenever I bring it up I get a door in my face or the ear buds go back in. Most of the information I know about Sou actually comes from Rin. It seems they’ve been friends since forever and Rin is the only person persistent enough to work his way past an obstacle course of resting bitch face and straight up growling to be his friend. And then there’s Gou again. He’s actually nice to Gou. And she’s… nice. But… she stares at me and I don’t know why? I came home after shooting a few hoops and after I got out of the shower she just… but eh, I dunno.

“Apparently he swam? Like, when he was little. And maybe when it gets warmer I’ll take him to the community center. The kid can’t just sit on his ass forever. He’ll lose all his muscle mass in a month. How he has any to begin with is a mystery.” Kagami paused again for a sip of cola. He hadn't had cola in a while. It seemed that as soon as he’d buy some, it’d get siphoned away in half a day. 

“Can you believe it, Kuroko?” Kagami asked.

He looked up across the table, expecting to see Kuroko staring back at him blankly from over the lid of a milkshake. 

Instead, he saw the milkshake set down on the table. But Kuroko’s light blue eyes were still keenly focused on him. He looked like he was thinking… too much. 

“What?” Kagami squinted at him. And it was the freakiest thing. Kuroko almost looked _nostalgic._

“This was a good decision, Kagami-kun,” he stated. And for nine tenths of a second Kagami thought he smiled, but soon the milkshake straw was back in place.

“B-But I just finished bitching about how he’s just a lazy ass sometimes,” Kagami said, his eyebrows drew down. 

“Yes, and you haven’t been _‘bitching’_ about things for a while Kagami-kun,” Kuroko explained. “It’s refreshing.” 

Kagami did not understand his own best friend. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke was determined to get this right. It couldn’t be that hard. And it would be--fun. It wasn’t like it was that hard, right?

Alright so it was 4:00 am and all Sousuke was running on was the mountain dew he’d had at 11:00 last night and now he was in the kitchen trying to make lunch. A bento box to be specific. A bento box with a cat-faced rice ball to be _more_ specific. 

Now, why was he doing this? Because he was awake at 4:00 am and bored. That was what he’d taken 20 minutes to convince himself of, so he was sticking to it. 

But these _stupid fucking_ online directions were the vague as _fuck_ and god fucking dammit! It wasn't like Kagami had any cookie cutter-ish things to make cat faces out of nori so did that mean Sousuke was screwed? Yeah. Yeah it did. 

Fucking screwed, because of this stupid pair of cooking scissors that were made to debone a chicken, not cut out kitty whiskers. And! The directions were just stupid. He didn’t have a little mold to make the face, although, adding soy sauce to make spots by the ears was pretty ingenious. 

“Fuck,” Sousuke grunted under his breath as he _calmly_ set down the scissors and somewhat mutilated piece of nori back down on the counter. He didn’t even have the lights turned on, just the flashlight on his phone shining up off the counter. That might’ve been half the problem. But he didn’t want to wake up Kagami. He didn’t want the weird-eyebrowed duffus coming in and wondering why he was yelling at a piece of seaweed at way-too-fuckin’-early in the morning. 

He looked down at what he had so far. He’d managed a small triangular nose with the scissors, maybe it was simply time for a different tool. 

Sousuke turned around to look at the kitchen, quickly spotted the knife block and got to work looking for a thin, thin fillet knife. That’s what he needed right now, precision. 

Sousuke smiled to himself as he gently pulled out the skinny, long, black handled utensil with a muffled _‘shiiiing’_.

Kagami too good care of his knives, it looked as if the one he was holding didn’t have a single knick. Not one. 

Sousuke turned back to the counter where his not-yet-assembled bento box, ready to start again and actually get it _right_ this time. Sousuke probably had this small gleam in his eyes, finally, finally after almost three weeks he’d have something to talk about with--

“What the fuck are you doing?” 

Sousuke’s head shot up. He had no idea he’d even been hunching over, but apparently he was bending his back in half as he examined the knife in the middle of Kagami’s kitchen. 

And there was the owner himself, standing by the bar counter in nothing but a pair of green and blue plaid boxers, scratching at his chest and his freakishly bright red hair was sticking up in odd angles. 

He was also staring at Sousuke as if he was actually a ghost but didn’t give enough fucks about life anymore to care. Because maybe he’d get a ‘fucks’ refund in the afterlife. 

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami didn't ask.

Or, after that first time he asked and Sousuke chose to dodge the question. 

He helped. And Sousuke had two bentos in his torn up bookbag. 

And when lunch rolled around, a green bookbag walked off into the hallway. 

“So Sousuke,” Rin said, flopping down in the now empty seat in front of him. “You are a moron. You need to actually speak to him, glaring won't make him stay and have lunch. He's a sociable enough guy, I mean, he's _Mak--”_

Sousuke shoved his extra bento in Rin’s face. 

****

###  **➺➺**

That night Sousuke was on the living room floor. His history work was spread out across the low, dark wood coffee table and math work on his knees as he leaned back against the sofa. Kagami had a nice sofa. 

And no, Sousuke was not actually doing his for once in order to fill his mind with stupid Japanese history dates and memorizing equations. Just to avoid thinking about the fact that he did not have the self confidence to even acknowledge the person he’d been creepily staring at since the beginning of the term.

Pfft, that would be stupid. And pathetic. 

Sousuke was doing a shit load of homework for once because it was due tomorrow morning. Also if he did all his work and got to school early enough, Rin would probably want to copy some math work here and there. Thus he'd owe Sousuke a favor. And Rin owning him a favor was always a nice thing to have in his backpocket. Either for when he just got _that_ annoying, or honestly needed help. 

Sousuke was half way through another problem when he heard footsteps across the hardwood flooring. 

He glanced up to see Kagami walking from down the hall. He looked pretty sleepy, which was understandable, spending all day in a restaurant. He also looked confused as he stared down at Sousuke. 

The guy's _insanely_ red hair was a bit messed up and those weird ass split eyebrows were furrowed. 

“You're doing homework?” Kagami asked. The guy's voice was as deep as you'd expect out of a six foot four inch tall guy who was 80% muscle. 

“Yep,” Sousuke said, before losing interest and turning back to his work. 

“Want help?”

That made Sousuke pause, his pen stilling on the paper. Another first. 

“I mean, sure,” Sousuke glanced at him sideways. “You like Japanese History?” 

“It can’t be _that_ hard,” Kagami scoffed, walking around the sofa to plot down beside Sousuke in that little area between the sofa and coffee table.

****

###  **➺➺**

Two hours in and Sousuke had never seen his foster parent _this_ angry. In the first 20 minutes Kagami had dismissed history, saying that if he was really a smart guy he’d have learned how to scratch cheats into the edge of his desk. Because didn’t all delinquents have switchblades on hand at all hours of the day? 

So for the last hour and 40 minutes, Sousuke and Kagami had been working on math. 

Which was _so much_ worse. 

“God, how the hell does this even make any sense. There are more damn letters in this shit then there are numbers…” Kagami mumbled to himself. He’d been scribbling on a piece of scratch paper Sousuke gave him for seven minutes now. And Sousuke didn’t know if he was actually doing the math or if he was still drawing the light house before he decided to find out what the angle of elevation from the point of the boat was. 

It happened to be 17 degrees, but seeing his normally chill, not giving a damn, overeating foster parent scrunching his freaky eyebrows so much that it looked like a unibrow was too good to pass up. 

As the night continued, Sousuke ended up biting his pencil in half in order to keep from laughing. 

But he did end up teaching Kagami some algebra. So _woo~!_

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Oi, Sousuke,” Kagami swung open the door to Sousuke’s been room. It was a Friday night and weirdly enough he stuck his head through the door to see Sousuke sitting at his desk.

The kid was in front of his laptop, which was apparently a gift from Rin for the sole purpose of video chatting. He had gigantic headphones on and was in nothing but sweats and a white tank top. 

And for once there wasn't an earring in sight. 

Kagami couldn’t hear what Sousuke was listening to all that clearly, but there was a heavy metal guitar riff _’whirr’_ in the air. 

“Oi,” Kagami called again. The guy just kept tapping on his keyboard, his dark eyebrows furrowed in focus. 

“Oi, kid!” Kagami said a touch louder. “Kid! Sousuke! Moron! Goth boy!” 

Kagami rolled his eyes, “OI!!” he shouted. 

Sousuke’s eyes widened, he straightened in his and shoved down his headphones. With his ears now in view, Kagami saw that this was the first time he’d seen Sousuke earring free.

“WHAT the HELL man?” Sousuke half-shouted. 

“We're making burgers,” Kagami explained. 

“Huh?” 

“You're supposed to be smarter than me moron, I said we're making burgers.” Kagami waved his hand in the universal gesture for _‘c’mon!’_. “Now hurry the hell up.” he finished as he pulled the door shut behind him. 

Kagami heard the sound of a laptop getting angstily shut and a long suffering for all of nine seconds groan through the door. Then he walked to his beautiful, beautiful kitchen and set out on prepping everything. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke stood in the middle of his kitchen, in that same white tank, gray sweats combo with a blue apron tied around his chest and waist. And Kagami had to say… he looked a lot more natural like that. The kid also had his arms crossed and left hip pointed out in the usual _‘you’re wasting my time’_ pose. 

“So, we’re making burgers,” Kagami explained. Out on the counter behind him there was an open package of beef, three eggs, an onion, chives, varied spices, a large spoon, a larger steel mixing bowl, and he had the griddle set to be plugged in and pre-heated. Also on the bar top there were condiments, but they weren’t important at the moment. 

“First we need to spice the meat. You chop the union, and you don’t wanna start crying so peel it in the sink.” Kagami explained as he turned back to the counter. “Then I need you to dice it, and we’ll add it to the beef, then I want you to dice the chives and I’ll take care of the spices. Got it?” 

A glance over his shoulder revealed that Sousuke had nodded. Also… if Kagami’s mind wasn’t playing tricks on him, the guy seemed… less bored to death about everything. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke actually knew his way around the kitchen. He hardly got in Kagami’s way and he was fast and meticulous. He didn’t spread himself around all that much, it was a step by step process, it was controlled. And it was refreshing. Soon Kagami and the kid had found a rhythm. And by the time that rhythm was established, they’d already formed all the patties and Kagami got to work grilling. 

Meanwhile Sousuke had gotten kinda bored and took it upon himself to melt butter on the burger buns and toast them under the broiler for a few minutes. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami was a confident person when it came to basketball, but overall not that flashy in the area of cooking. But even _he_ had to admit as he took a big ol’ bite outta burger number five, these things were _damn good_. Even Sousuke was munching on his third. The boy had made very smart condiment choices, such as extra cheese and convincing Kagami to make use of that half a package of bacon they still had in the freezer. 

“Fuck, this is _so good_ ,” Sousuke groaned around the bite in his mouth. 

“These are the only circumstances where you’re allowed to use that kind of language, young man,” Kagami said, cracking a smile. 

“Mmm,” Sousuke grunted, reaching for his cup of cola. 

“Oh and by the way,” Kagami said, picking up the half empty beer bottle to the left of his plate. “Happy one month anniversary of eating my shit, drinking all my damn cola and tripling my fucking water bill,” he explained, raising the bottle towards Sousuke. 

Sousuke cracked a small grin, leaning his own cup towards Kagami’s.

“Thanks, man,” he said. 

Their cups hit together with a hollow little _clunk’_.


	2. He Is The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They still make 'im take the trash out, keep his ass in check" 
> 
> ~Jon Bellion~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo! Many, many thank yous to unmei_na_no_da_yo & Fuckup101 who beta-ed on BOTH this chapter and the last, but I was really stupid and didn't mention those two angels??? Anywayyyyyy
> 
> Please go read and enjoy!

__

### Ten years ago:

_Kagami was on his sofa after a fucking grueling day of practice. Seriously, it was like coach had some vendetta against the team._

_And so when Kagami made his way home, walking along side Kuroko before splitting ways, all he could think about was his sofa. His plain, but extremely comfy sofa._

_Here he was, lounging. So content lounging in fact that he hadn’t even started_ eating _yet. Kagami was that tired. He also hadn’t turned on the tv and his empty apartment was left in a strange silence._

_Kagami really shouldn’t have acknowledged the fact that it was quiet because as soon as he did, there was a knock at the door._

_No wait, that wasn’t accurate, it wasn’t one, single, solitary knock. It was a shit load of loud, obnoxious banging that was literally the most annoying thing!_

_“Open the damn door Kagami!!” someone shouted. And not just any someone; but someone who Kagami could not ignore._

_He didn't want to ignore it if he was honest. But he would never be honest about that. Like ever. It didn’t matter if they were a... uh… a_ ‘thing’ _now._

_Kagami leaned forward slowly and winced at the pain in his thighs. Seriously, squats were going to be the death of him. Kagami bowleggedly made it to his doorway, turned the knob and suddenly--_

_“Took you long enough, asshole.”_

_He was assaulted by a head of blue hair and tanned arms. Oh, and lips._

_Aomine had one arm wrapped around the back of Kagami’s neck, and the other gripped his arm. Aomine had tilted his head so that their mouths slanted against one another. Kagami only slightly hated the fact that he melted into that embrace as quickly as he did. Four weeks ago if Aomine had done a stunt like this, Kagami would’ve punched his lights out. But it had been four weeks of--uh._

_Kagami decided not to think about that and busy himself with kissing Aomine instead. Because that was obviously the better decision here._

_Kagami had only just wrapped his arms around Aomine’s waist when the bluenette leaned back, breaking the kiss._

_“Hi,” was all Aomine said as a crooked grin worked it's way onto his face. He licked his lips gave Kagami’s chest a little shove._

_“What the hell was_ that?” _Kagami huffed, letting go of Aomine and crossing his arms._

_“I haven't see you all week,” Aomine whined as he kicked off his sneakers. He was still in his school uniform, albeit an extremely disheveled version._

_“Can you blame me for missing you?” he asked. Or teased Kagami should say. There was no way Aomine would say something like that genuinely, and the smirk on that bastard’s face only proved Kagami’s point._

_“Sh-Shut up!” Kagami said, trying to will away his blush. Seriously. This moron would be the death of him._

_“Make me.”_

_And with that, they were making out on the sofa three minutes later._

_And because Kagami was a moron too he just let Aomine do what he wanted, which was how he ended up pinned to the couch. Aomine had a hand in his hair and they kissed hard. Like Aomine said, they hadn't seen each other in a week._

_Aomine pulled away with an obnoxious smack and grinned down at him._

_“God you're hot, babe,” Kagami felt his entire face explode red. How could that moron_ say _things like that? And pet names… what the fuck was with the pet names?_

_“Ahom--mmmhhnn!” Aomine wouldn't even let him get a word in! Bastard!_

_Kagami could feel him smiling into the kiss, his hand gripped tighter at Kagami’s hair and--_

*virrrr virrr viiirrrrr* 

_And Aomine’s crotch was vibrating. How did he know? Well, Kagami’s own crotch was kinda sorta right there too. Because, they were almost the same height and all that, y'know? That's just how it worked--_

*virrr virrr VIRRR* 

_Kagami shoved the side of Aomine’s head. “Could you fucking answer that?” he growled._

_Aomine sat up so that he was sitting in Kagami’s lap. That position was added to the list of things Kagami would try not to think about._

_“How do you know it’s a phone?” Aomine asked, his eyebrows raised._

_“You SHIT HEAD!” Kagami exclaimed as he tried to wiggle out from under Aomine._

_“No, No, wait! Lemme answer it dumbass,” Aomine said, he was still grinning. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, still looking like a smug bastard before he looked at the screen._

_“Shit! It's my mom!!” Aomine screeched as he_ leapt _off Kagami’s lap. “Shit shit shit!!”_

_Kagami was laughing so hard he almost cried as Aomine cleared his throat and answered, “H-Hi mom.”_

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Kagami got home at around 8:30 Tuesday night. When he walked through the living room he saw Sousuke and Rin on the couch, both wearing gigantic headphones with a laptop between them. 

A quick glance at the screen had Kagami seeing a guy aiming a shot guy and a really cheesy looking zombie that only had one eye and a hole in its cheek. Ew.

Kagami quickly scooted along towards his room, for once happy that teenagers never invited parents to watch movies or spend quality time with them. Sousuke and Rin could have the half-rotten flesh eaters all to themselves.

Once Kagami made it to his bedroom, he dropped his bag that contained his work clothes on the bed and decided to change into something he could actually sleep in.

That happened to be dark blue joggers and a white tee. And when Kagami walked back through the living room to reach his kitchen, he really hoped that Sousuke and Rin were done with that movie. 

Rin and Sousuke were no longer on the sofa, instead in the kitchen, and the laptop was on the coffee table with the paused image of a zombie arm getting thrown out the window of an old farm house. Fun. 

“Hey, Kagami,” Sousuke called from the kitchen, “You’ve got a futon right?” he asked as he snapped a can of cola open. Rin was still tapping his fingers on the door of the fridge as he searched. 

“Yeah, why?” 

“Rin’s staying over,” Sousuke said as he passed Kagami to get to the couch. 

“Cool,” Kagami said, he walked up beside Rin, whose hand was hovering back and forth between the cola and the fridge's last orange fanta. “It’s in the linen closet. And Rin, you can take the last one, it’s fine.” 

Rin shot him a sharp toothed grin as he snagged the soda. The shorter redhead was no longer in his school uniform, but in a red tank top with the picture of cyborg shark(?) printed to the front and sweats that were too long for him. So they were probably Sousuke’s. 

“You tell your mom you were staying over?” Kagami asked Rin as the boy plopped down on the sofa. 

“Uh, yeah, Kagami-san,” Rin gave him another smile. How something that looked like it was from a slasher film was supposed to be charming was beyond him. 

Sousuke and Rin got the laptop positioned between them once again and Kagami got to work on some late night waffles because after hours of fancy-ass entrees and appetizers that were either on fire or still partially alive, that was all he wanted from life. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami had finished making the batter and was busy with waiting for the waffle iron’s little green light to go off when he heard voices from across the bar counter. 

He looked over his shoulder to see that Rin had slid one of Sousuke’s earphones off before saying, “Y’know, Makoto _hates_ horror flicks.” 

Kagami really shouldn’t listen in. That would be a breach of trust, and trust was something that his foster parent classes had jammed into his head as a very important thing that once broken, was often hard to recover. 

But who was _Makoto?_ That was a new name. Although, the only names Kagami ever heard were Rin, Gou, and Asshole Teacher. 

He turned back to the waffle iron and tried to look like he was busy with the batter as his ears strained themselves. 

“Shut up,” he heard Sousuke’s low voice growl. 

“Aw common, this is prime info! I heard it from that kid in class 1-A, Shigino. Makoto thinks they’re just the worst and like gets all _scared_ and shit,” Rin whispered. 

Kagami heard the barely audible click of a key on a keyboard. Probably someone pausing the horrible, mindless, zombie film. 

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” Sousuke bit out. Yeah, that was Kagami’s question. 

“Are you _blind?_ I’m saying that _Makoto_ hates horror movies. Just imagine it our little goodie goodie ever watched one. Lip trembling, those big green eyes staring up at you… _‘Hold me Yamazaki-kun, I’m scared~!’_ ” Rin’s voice pitched up at the end, getting all squeaky and off key. 

“SHUT UP!” Sousuke yelled. And Kagami couldn’t help but crack a smile as he heard Rin cackling behind him. 

_Now, who’s Makoto?_ Kagami mused to himself as he poured some batter into the now ready waffle iron. From what Rin said, the image that popped up into Kagami’s brain was one that involved a four foot five girl with soft brown hair, big eyes and a winning smile that probably baked in her spare time. It was precious thinking that big, strong, grumpy Sousuke probably had a crush on this seemingly sweet and tiny person. 

Three minutes later the smell of waffles started to waft away from the kitchen and Kagami once again heard a few keyboard taps and some shuffling. 

“Hey, Kagami-san, are those waffles?” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke woke up at 6:14 Wednesday morning. Rin was still asleep on the futon in the middle of his room. The moron had the blanket kicked off half of him and his hair was sticking up all over the place. It was actually pretty funny, Rin looking like a moron and all that. 

Last night had been kinda fun, Rin had somehow managed to eat four waffles, all covered in syrup and had a sugar high for about 20 minutes before passing out on the futon at 10 minutes after 11:00. Kagami had tossed a blanket over his friend and told Sousuke to get some sleep for once. 

Sousuke turned his head to look out the window beside the end of his bed. It looked pretty cloudy. 

Today was one of those strange days where it felt like lying in bed was the best thing to do. Just, avoid all the drama for a few hours, hope Kagami didn’t bust in guns a blazin’ and demanding he be ready for class. Sousuke didn’t want to go to class. Or anywhere. It just seemed as though the day could either stay cloudy and be complete crap, or it might be not-so-shitty. And neither option seemed like a walk in the park.

But despite that, Sousuke quietly climbed out of bed and managed to not step on Rin as he made it to the door. Not that he actually cared about whether or not he stepped on Rin, but because he didn’t want competition for the shower. He’d step on Rin on the way back. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke and Rin walked to homeroom together, as usual. If only because it was lonely walking alone, no other reason. And because Rin hadn’t had to walk Gou to school this morning, the lip ring was back in business ruining his best friend’s entire face. Sousuke himself wasn’t so lucky, still in those fucking khakis. Why the hell did Kagami even care?

Even after walking into the building Sousuke didn’t feel like taking off his beanie and nobody told him too so it must be fine, right? So what if in reality Sousuke was about half a foot taller than all his teachers and none of them had the balls to tell him to take it off for fear him taking out one of the spikes in his helix and using it as a weapon. 

Sousuke opened the door to their classroom and Rin slipped through the doorway. Class was about to start in about another 20 seconds so Rin strolled to his desk at the back of the room while Sousuke made it to his seat. 

He really had a love-hate relationship with that brown chair and wood-top desk. As Sousuke made it to his row it was a completely useless effort to try and not notice that the seat in front of his own already had an occupant. 

A tall, wide shouldered occupant with wispy, olive-brown hair that would fucking _sparkle_ in the afternoon light right as history rolled around. Said occupant also had warmly tanned, almost glowing skin, warm, summery green eyes that gave Sousuke a warm feeling down to his bones. Those eyes were hidden behind thick black glasses frames, and full, dusted pink lips framed the most breathtaking of smiles. 

This certain occupant was probably the most beautiful and kind hearted person ever put on this earth. 

This person, who sat directly in front of Sousuke, was Tachibana Makoto. 

****

###  **➺➺**

It was after lunch, a pretty boring lunch that involved having Rin gush and moan overdramatically about the bento Kagami had made for him that morning. And now the classes math teacher, a middle aged woman with eyes of cold steel and who expected you to memorize her equations before he even taught them stood before them. 

Sousuke thought her name started with a _‘G’_ but it was anyone’s guess in his book. Sousuke tapped his pen against the top of his desk as lady went on handing out worksheets and explaining the start of a new unit. Sousuke only half paid attention. If the stuff didn’t make sense when he looked at it, he’d google YouTube videos at home about it. That way he could _mute_ the teacher if he wanted to. It was really a nice way to learn. Plus the teacher had already written an example problem on the board so it would be pretty easy to fill in the blanks. 

“Today, I’ll give you a reward for the higher class average on last week's quiz,” she explained as she passed a stack of papers to the first person in the row on the other side of the room. “You may all have one partner, work with someone sitting near y…” 

The stalk of papers she’d passed out to his row made it back to Sousuke. He quickly snagged one for himself and sent it on down. He looked down at the work sheet. It was basically the exact same thing as the practice problem, just with different numbers. Like _all_ math worksheets. 

Sousuke grabbed the cap of his pen between his teeth and popped it off before getting to work. 

He scribbled his name at the top and scratched out all the necessary info in each word problem. He didn’t need to know that the width of the ladder was two feet when the problem was asking for how far away it was from the tree if the shadow reached nine feet. 

He was scribbling away… already half done with problem one of seven. 

“Yamazaki-kun?” 

Alright, now to figure out side B of the triangle. He’d have to use cosine. Fuck. For some damn reason he really had a grudge against cosine. It just wasn’t cool to him that its inverse was _secant_ and not _cosecant_. It just irked him. It would be so much easier to remember everything if the inverses started with the same letter. 

“Yamazaki-kun? Hello?” 

Okay so angle B was 17 degrees, and now he had to find the length of side C because A was already given, then he would be able to plug everything in and find the answer to the length of side B. 

Someone tapped his shoulder. 

“Y-Yamazaki-kun?” 

Sousuke snapped his head up. He was trying to _work_ who the hell would even think of bothering him anyway, he looked like he’d wrangled with a racoon before coming to school. Although, he did get pretty close because he forgot Kagami could read English and he’d walked out with his _‘Cool story babe… now shut the fuck up’_ shirt. Needless to say, he’d had to change. And change his clothes to the tune of Rin being a snarky asshat. 

Sousuke looked up in front of him, ready to tell whoever bothered him to fuck off so that he could get this damn worksheet over with and go on with his day of ignoring people. 

Big fucking green doe eyes stared back, sparking in that fucking afternoon light behind those stupid giant frames. 

Tachibana Makoto had just turned around in his seat to tap Sousuke’s arm. 

Tachibana Makoto was now staring at him.

What the _fuck_ was Sousuke supposed to do now? 

Sousuke had no idea what kind of face he was currently making but he was very happy that Rin wasn’t there to snicker and take a picture of it to memorialize the moment or some shit. 

Sousuke was at a fucking loss for what to say, but luckily he didn’t have to talk because Tachibana opened those perfectly soft lips to speak first. 

“Do you want to work together, Yamazaki-kun?” 

Oh _shit_. He _did_ have to talk. 

“Huh?” he grunted out. 

_Oh fuck you, Sousuke. You fucking dumbass what the fucking shit was that are youstupid what the fuck is wrong with you now he’s gonna leave!_

“Would you like to work together, on the worksheet?” Tachibana asked, giving Sousuke a small, nervous smile. Oh shit. Sousuke made him nervous. The poor angel probably thought Sousuke was the kinda guy who’d appear in a dark alley and turn him into a lampshade. God, _why_. 

“Sure,” he grunted. He honestly didn’t trust his voice to say more than one word at a time at the moment. Tachibana was _talking to him_. How the hell was he supposed to process any of this?! 

Makoto gave him a larger, more comfortable smile, all dazzling white teeth and crinkling eyes. If Sousuke hadn’t already been sitting down his knees would’ve probably given out.

“Great,” Tachibana said, “So have you already started working?” he asked as he turned completely in his seat and put his worksheet on Sousuke’s desk. 

“Yeah, got the first problem,” Sousuke said. Because it seemed he couldn’t form a full sentence at the moment. He turned his paper around so that Tachibana could look at his work. 

“Wow, Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana said as he looked over the problem, his finger tracing over some of the figures. “You’re really good at math, huh?” he said, smiling back up at Sousuke again. 

“Uh…” 

Okay this was going really bad on Sousuke’s end but Tachibana still smiled at him so he was doing something right. 

Right? 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Fist bump! Right here man, you deserve it!” Rin said, beaming up at him and hold up his closed fist. Sousuke quickly nocked his own knuckles against it, giving his friend a smug grin. 

“You actually talked to him, wow,” Rin said as he turned back to the sidewalk in front of them. They were on their way to pick up Gou again. “You looked like a fucking fish out of water doing it but you _talked_ to him! And what was that he said at the end again?” Rin asked. 

“He said he wanted to work together again,” Sousuke said as he looked up at the sky. It was still cloudy, but it wasn’t bad. He was so stupid for being all negative that morning. Clouds were nice, it was like the sky had its own quilted blanket. 

When they got to the gate of Gou’s school, she asked if someone had hit Sousuke with a brick. But he didn’t care. 

He’d _talked to him._

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami was already home and on the sofa when Sousuke walked through the door and kicked his shoes off. He hung up the coat he’d figured he should wear over his blazer and walked into the living room. Kagami already had a beer in hand and his feet up on the coffee table. 

Sousuke slipped off his blazer and dropped his backpack at the corner of the sofa before flopping down on the end of the couch opposite Kagami. Sousuke draped his blazer over the armrest and looked at the television. It was a basketball game, go figure. 

“What’s for dinner?” Sousuke asked, watching as a group of ten guys ran from one end of a room to _another_ end of the room. Only to go back again, all because they were following a piece of rubber. Sousuke didn’t understand how this was so interesting. Now, he understood the appeal of _swimming_. You didn’t just run around on some waxed flooring, you had to work your way _through_ the water. You didn’t get to the other side to chase anything, but _powered through_ , worked your way through obstacles in order to reach your own finish. See, that was poetic. 

Basketball was just a bunch of morons bumping into each other because they were _chasing a rubber ball._

“I figured I’d teach you curry,” Kagami said, his focus was still very much on the screen. “It’s cloudy today, curry would be nice.” 

“Sounds good.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

It sounded creepy but chopping carrots was really soothing. Kagami was beside him at the stove top, sautéing the chicken. 

The potatoes, onions and spices were already spread out across the counter, ready to be added to the pot. It really looked like they had enough food set out to feed five people. But nope, they were just feeding one teenage boy, and one human garbage disposal. That was all. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“So how was school?” Kagami asked between spoonfuls. Sousuke wasn’t certain if his count was accurate, but if it was, Kagami was working his way through bowl number four. Meanwhile Sousuke was on his second, and with the portions Kagami served, that was really pushing it. 

“Fine,” Sousuke grunted out. Because it had been. It started out fine, because absolutely spectacular with a dash of torturous before winding back down to fine again. 

“Just fine?” Kagami asked, raising one of his weird forked eyebrows. 

“Yeah,” Sousuke huffed out as he shifted in his stool at the bar counter. Kagami was _staring_ at him and it was creepy. 

“So there’s _nothing_ you wanna tell me?” the redhead continued. 

Sousuke frowned down at his spoon before snapping his head over to look straight at Kagami. 

“ _What?_ ” he snapped, “Did the school call or something?” 

“Is there a particular reason the school was supposed to call?” Kagami asked. He was still doing weird things with his eyebrows. Did he even have control over those things? Were they their own separate entity? All in all, Sousuke wouldn’t be surprised if he found out Kagami was hosting an alien race on his forehead. 

“No,” Sousuke said slowly, his eyes narrowed. And Kagami’s narrowed right back. They stared at each other for all of three seconds before Sousuke chickened out and turned back to his curry. 

“All I was concerned with was why Rin texted me saying I should be a proud father,” Kagami said, then he shrugged and went back to eating. That was the most important thing to Kagami at the moment. 

Sousuke groaned as he slowly lowered his head down onto the counter. 

Then he froze with his forehead on the cool granite. 

“Wait a minute…” he muttered. Sousuke lifted his head at stared at Kagami with a horrified expression. “YOU TEXT WITH RIN?!” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami was washing off the dishes and Sousuke was on dry and put away. At the moment they were half done. Kagami was elbow deep in soapy water as he scrubbed off some burnt onion from the curry pot. Sousuke was in the middle of drying off a spatula with a dish towel and they both worked in an oddly comfortable silence. Sousuke actually didn’t mind helping for a bit. He knew the moment he opened his laptop or looked at his phone Rin would start demanding a video chat so that he could once again congratulate/mock him for the day’s events. 

Kagami was still working on exercising that demonic slice of onion from his beloved _non-stick_ pot when there was a knock at the door. It was a pretty loud knock and Sousuke frowned at the sound of it. It was almost 8:30. It wasn’t really ‘late’ but it certainly wasn’t an ideal time to drop by for a meet and greet. 

“Could you get that, Sousuke?” Kagami asked, he was still frowning at the sponge in his hand. 

“Sure,” Sousuke said as he set his dishrag back on the countertop. Sousuke made his way to the entry way. He took a quick look down at himself, he was still in those stupid school khakis because he’d forgotten to change out of them, but he had slipped his bracelets back on after they’d finished cooking and he’d lost the blue button down leaving only the gray _Panic! At The Disco_ logo tee he’d had under it. By his standards, that was more than presentable.

Sousuke opened the door and the first thing he saw was--chin. 

That was very surprising for Sousuke. He was used to seeing the tops of people’s heads. Then he met Kagami and only just recently got used to looking up at someone. And now there was _this_ person. At least he could see Kagami’s nose when he looked head on but this guy was taller? 

Sousuke looked him up and down. First off, the guy was in basketball shoes and some insulated track pants and a heavy looking blue hoodies. He was really fuckin’ tall with broad shoulders and a lean figure. His skin was darkly tanned, which wasn’t exactly common in Japan but look at Sousuke he had teal eyes what the fuck was that about? 

The guy’s face was stern, he glared down at Sousuke with thin blue eyes. His _hair_ was blue too, now that was pretty weird but again Sousuke wasn’t one to judge he’d almost bleached his hair and dyed it teal one time because he’d thought it’d look cool but chickened out. 

Overall, the person standing at the doorway was just _imposing_. He was all hard lines and his face was taken over by a dark scowl. 

Sousuke opened his mouth to asked what the guy wanted but the bluenette beat him to the punch. 

“Where’s Kagami?” he asked, it sounded more like an order with the man’s deep voice though. 

Sousuke scowled right back. If _this guy_ was gonna act like an asshole then fine, he’d be one right back. 

“Who the fuck wants to know?” Sousuke spat. He let go of the door handle and crossed his arms. The guy at the door might be tall but Sousuke wasn’t a shrimp himself. 

The dude straightened his back--only making him _taller_ what the hell--and leaned in closer. 

“Someone who wants to find him, that’s fuckin’ who. Now, does he still live here?” the guy growled. 

“Yeah, he does,” Sousuke said. 

“Then let me in.” 

“Why?” Sousuke asked, raising an eyebrow. 

The guy practically snarled. “The fuck do you need to know, huh? Why the hell are you here to begin with?” 

“I live with him,” Sousuke said. Which was true. He didn’t feel like getting a weird look with mentioning the _‘foster kid’_ stuff so he didn’t say anything. Every time he brought it up to someone new they expected him to turn into Oliver Twist or some shit. 

The guy’s eyes widened and the frown on his face melted away for a second. Sousuke watched silently as the guy looked away and took in this _tiny_ little breath. So he was nervous. Now, who the fuck was he, why the hell was he here and what was the goddamn reason he was nervous? 

“Could you just let me talk to him?” the guy asked. He looked less mean now and a lot more… scared. 

“Who are you?” Sousuke asked again. 

“Fuck,” the guy muttered as he ran a hand through his short cut blue hair. “Name’s Aomine, alright? Now just let me see him.” 

“Follow me,” Sousuke said as he stepped aside to let him in. 

“Like I don’t know the way,” Aomine muttered as he walked into the entryway and kicked off his shoes. Sousuke shut the door and quickly walked around him to go to the kitchen. 

Kagami was drying off his hands, the finally clean pot set out on the counter when they entered. 

“What took you so long, Sousuke?” Kagami asked as he turned around. 

Kagami had a questioning look on his face but as soon as he looked at Sousuke, or _through_ Sousuke it seemed, that expression fell away. Kagami turned white as a sheet. The dish rag he’d been using to dry his hands dropped to the floor. 

Sousuke stepped to the side to look at Aomine, the guy was frozen, his eyes wide as he stared at Kagami. 

“Tai--”

“Get out of my apartment,” Kagami said slowly. The color was already coming back to his face, but his eyes still looked shocked. 

Aomine lifted his hands up for a second, “Wait, just listen, Ta--” 

“ _Aomine_ ,” Kagami growled. Aomine visibly stiffened. His dark blue eyes looked hurt. But why someone would look hurt by a name was beyond him. 

Sousuke backed up until he felt the bar counter hit his back. Sousuke didn’t know what the hell was going on but he suddenly felt very little and like he _really_ shouldn’t be here. 

Kagami let out this short, bitter laugh. 

“You said you had fun, right?” his face was purely _twisted_. “Have fun with the door hitting your ass.” 

“Kagami,” Aomine said, “I came here to apologize--” 

“Does it look like I want a fucking apology?!?” Kagami shouted. “Does it look like I want to even to see you?!?” 

“No it _doesn’t_ ,” Aomine hissed. “It looks like it took a whole fucking _week_ for you to move on!” he said as he gestured over to Sousuke. And what the fuck? Why was he a part of this? 

“Oh yeah because eight years is a damn breeze to walk away from,” Kagami said, “You did it _so_ easily.”

Sousuke hadn’t noticed this before but red eyes were very, very scary. 

“I’m not the one _living_ with someone!!” Aomine snarled, he shot another look over at Sousuke. It was of pure murder. 

“Like you didn’t go off and fuck every double D you saw the moment you were out the door!” 

“How old is this fucker??” Aomine asked, “20? 22? You rob him from the goddamn cradle?!” 

“Sousuke has _nothing_ to do with this!” Kagami yelled. 

“How long has he been here?!?” Aomine yelled back. “It takes you _years_ to call people by their first names! You pick him up the morning after I left?!!” 

“What I did after you left isn’t your _fucking_ business!” Kagami stepped forward. “I told you to get the fuck out Aomine.” 

Aomine looked away and sneered. “I thought I could be the bigger person, ya know? Come back and--” 

“And _what?_ You think you can say _sorry_ and everything will be fine?” 

“Well if _you’re_ gonna make it difficult--!” 

“DIFFICULT? I’ll fuckin’ show you _difficult_ you shit!” Kagami stepped forward again and Aomine mirrored the movement. 

“Don’t get too riled up in front of your little boyfriend, Kagami,” Aomine shot him a gruesome little smirk. 

“Boyfriend?” Kagami laughed again, “You think everyone fucks on the side, don’tcha? Sousuke’s my foster kid, asshole.” 

Confusion washed over Aomine’s entire face, “Kid? Is there a little wife I don’t know about? You have a fun time playing house or some shit? You and your little delinquent here, you look like a damn sitcom.” 

“Fuck you, Aomine.” Kagami said simply. 

“So _this_ is what I get for trying to be mature huh?” Aomine asked, he stepped back, arms going out to his sides. “Build bridges not walls, Kagami, I thought we could just bury the hatchet, dumbass. You’re _really_ making his harder than it really is.” 

“FUCK. YOU.” Kagami hissed, he raised a finger and jabbed it into Aomine’s chest with each word as he continued. 

“I wasn’t the one who disappeared for two damn years. You're the one who ran off and you're the one who tore up the bridges as you went. So fuck you, fuck your apology, fuck maturely and go fuck yourself after you get out of my goddamn apartment.” 

“Daw, but we picked this place out together, honey,” Aomine crooned. Kagami looked like he was two seconds away from strangling the guy. 

“That doesn’t matter anymore you shit!” Kagami bellowed. “It didn’t matter the moment you fucking pranced off into the sunset! You aren’t part of my _life_ anymore Aomine. YOU need to leave before I throw you out that damn door! I don’t want to see you I don’t what _think about you_ I don’t want your _shitty_ apologies I don’t want you _insulting_ Sousuke and I want my life to be like it was 15 minutes ago! _Before_ you showed your face here and _before_ you ruined my evening!!” 

Aomine clicked his tongue. It was honestly the biggest asshole move Sousuke had ever seen and he’d been raised by the king of assholes. 

“I get it, you want me to leave before we end up angry fucking again, you just cleaned the kitchen, right?” 

Or so he’d thought. 

Sousuke felt like crawling underneath the counter. He’d thought Kagami snapped before. Oh fuck he was wrong. Oh shit fucking fuck, he was about to witness a murder. 

“The only reason I'd lay a finger on you is to throw you out. Now answer me this...WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL HERE?” he yelled as he shoved Aomine in chest. It was one of those yells that seemed to echo through your brain. Sousuke didn’t understand why Aomine hadn’t turned tail and run yet. He was either just that brave or just _that_ stupid. 

Aomine stumbled back. He glanced at the floor for a moment before he smirked and looked down at Kagami through narrowed eyes. 

“Don’t be too rough with me, _baby._ ” 

“You _shit!_ You fucking _shit!_ Get out before I throw you out!!” 

“I don’t know why you’re messing this up _so much_ , Kagami,” Aomine shook his head. “Is it because you’ve gotta tough it out? Be the big man in front of that little fucker?” Aomine asked, thumbing over to Sousuke. 

“I came here because I _know_ I was a fucking asshole when I left,” Aomine said with a little wave, “So why don’t we cool it for a minute, hun?” 

“You need to shut your goddamn mouth,” Kagami hissed. 

“Why, you used to _love_ pet names, never admitted it though,” Aomine bit the tip of his tongue between his teeth as he smirked. “You’d _blush _and _smile_ like a little girl sometimes, _babe._ ”__

____

Did the moron already forget about the earlier apology spiel? 

____

“I don’t know how many times I have to repeat myself,” Kagami shoved him back again. 

____

“Until your throat’s fucking _raw_ , Kagami,” Aomine said. “And I don’t know how many times I have to say that I came here to apologize.” 

____

“I don’t _want it_ if it’s from _you_.” 

____

Aomine stopped. His jaw visibly clenched and. And once again he just looked _hurt_ before it was masked again, replaced by a small sneer. 

____

“Fine,” Aomine gave him a nodd. “I’ll leave, and you cool down and stop acting like a little bitch about all this, ‘kay?” 

____

Kagami growled at him. 

____

“You two have a good fuckin’ evening,” Aomine said with a little play salute. “And don’t worry, I bought the apartment, so I think I know my way out.” 

____

Aomine turned around, sauntered over to the entry way and the door shut with a loud slam that echoed down the entry way and back to the kitchen. 

____

Sousuke and Kagami were completely silent. Sousuke found himself staring at the spot where Aomine had been for a full 20 seconds before looking over at Kagami. 

____

Kagami looked frozen place, he stared at that same spot but didn’t look focused on it. It was like his body was right in front of Sousuke but his mind couldn’t been further away. 

____

Sousuke cleared his throat, awkwardly breaking the small span of silence. 

____

"Who the fuck was that?” he asked. 

____

Kagami continued to blink off at something distant as he answered. 

____

“My ex,” he said flatly, “And he hasn’t changed one fucking bit.” 

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and tell me what you thought. 
> 
> And as a side note, I happen to title each of my chapters after a Jon Bellion song of the same name~  
> Just in case someone was interested~  
> You probs weren't but now you know~
> 
> ~idi2


	3. The Good In Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Your heart's a vine that I've bled tryin' to climb, yeah, ya makin' a ruin of me'
> 
> ~Quotes ftw~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just shy of 8k words :'D I just kept writing save me. 
> 
> This chapter was beta-ed by the SPEEEEEEECCCCTAAACCCCUUULLLLAAARRRR unmei_na_no_da_yo & Fuckup101!!! WOOOO!!! 
> 
> ~idi2

The _‘events’_ of last Wednesday were still on Sousuke’s mind. Over the past week that led to today, that happened to be a Monday, Sousuke hadn’t asked Kagami anything. But he _had_ been thinking things. 

So he was in first period, looking out the window with the question _Who the fuck is Aomine?_ still swirling in his mind. 

Because ohoho what a question. Sousuke knew he was Kagami’s ex-boyfriend, that he was a complete asshole, the relationship he’d had with Kagami had been pretty _alright_. Or so he assumed. The bluenette had shouted about having bought the apartment before storming out like a big baby. 

Kagami had been pretty cool about everything. He didn’t mention it, Sousuke didn’t mention it. It was just one weird thing that had happened and now it was over. 

It was still a fucking cold morning in January but it didn’t look too miserable through the window. The sky was blue and the sun brightened everything, making the day look warm, but it only seemed that way because the glass and the school’s crappy heaters hid the icy air. 

Then Sousuke’s eyes did something truly horrible. They betrayed him. Because without even a _shred_ of consent from his brain his eyes scooted forward to stare at Tachibana. 

More specifically his back. Because the guy was actually paying attention the the english lecture the teacher was giving them. 

Okay, this really, _really_ moved Sousuke into creep territory but Tachibana had a nice back. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

The kitchen was loud and busy, people shouting orders and moving all around with the sole purpose of getting what they had to do _done_. Have it done well and done as quickly as one could manage. Kagami was in his chef’s whites, more than at home in the commotion. 

Kagami had always been a passionate in the kitchen, but even he could admit that at this moment in time he was taking his frustrations out on a chicken breast. 

So he readjusted the piece of saran wrap over the meat and had his mallet at the ready, the cutting board resonated with a low _thud_ as he got to work. 

Now, cooking might not be someone’s first thought when it came to anger management, but if one just stopped to think, it was socially acceptable form of torture. Kagami got to set things on fire, cook flesh and muscles. One of his best dishes involved boiling crustaceans alive. Also vegetables got skinned. Seriously, it was horrible and _perfect_ whenever he felt like removing someone’s teeth because it wasn’t immediately followed by an assault charge. Instead he got to eat stuff, which was always, _always_ a plus. 

Kagami got into a rhythm as he tenderized each piece of meat. 

Seriously. _Seriously._ Kagami could not _believe_ what had happened Wednesday night. If Sousuke hadn’t been there as well, Kagami would’ve assume it was some fucked up dream. Because _Seriously_. Aomine showing up at his front doorstep was not something he’d been expecting to happen. Ever. 

Kagami honestly hadn’t envisioned what seeing him again would be like. It could’ve been when they were both 40, with families and completely civil, just friends from high school. Or it could’ve been a whirlwind of emotions and before Kagami would know what was happening he’d already have done something bone-headed like forgive the bastard. 

But instead, they’d looked at each other for nine seconds then started yelling. Which was really what Kagami should’ve expected from the start. It was always hard for the two of them to have a conversation. Kagami was too much of a hot head and Aomine was too much of an insensitive asshole. 

So yeah, that led to yelling. And a lot of it. And almost a full week of that asshole being _stuck_ in Kagami’s brain. He’d lasted two years! And now he was back to square one. Or, not square one exactly, but close enough. He felt like shaking his fist up at the sky. 

The worst part of it was that Sousuke had been there. Sousuke had seen him snap like that and that couldn’t have been good for the kid. 

Kagami washed his hands after dealing with the chicken, the next step was the ham. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“And then during English this boy--” 

“What _boy?_ ” 

“Let me _finish_ , Onii-chan. So there was this boy, Hazuki-kun, who came up to me. He’s really little and funny and _bouncy?_ Anyway he came up to me and told me that he knew this guy in another class who was apparently _suuuper_ smart and _also_ just joined the track team and he wants my help because I’m friends with the track team’s manager. You remember Au-kun? She’s the manager because one of her twin brothers does shot-put and then the other’s on the soccer team but it’s okay because they have another sister who’s a first year and she just joined to help the soccer team.” 

Gou huffed out a big breath and looked up at Rin, then turned to smile up at Sousuke from where she was walking in between them. 

Sousuke nodded slowly with a vague grunt to add to the allusion that he’d understood any of that. 

Rin wasn’t so smart. 

“So wait… The Hazuki guy wants to talk to some twins?” 

Gou rolled her eyes and groaned melodramatically, “ _No_ , Onii-chan!” 

Gou huffed, folded her arms and started at the street in front of the three of them. 

“Fine, I’ll start over,” she said. “So during English this little blonde…” 

Sousuke glared at from across Gou’s knit-hat clad head. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke leaned his head back against the wall of the elevator behind him. He’s had his headphones on as soon as he’d walked away from Rin and Gou’s tiny house. The last chorus of _House Of Memories_ blasted in his ears and he tapped his fingers along the railing of the elevator. He didn’t feel like doing shit at the moment. Maybe he’d look some stuff up online before finally passing out with music playing over his tiny bluetooth speaker. 

The elevator doors opened and Sousuke slumped forward slightly as he walked out, he rummaged through his blazer pocket for his key as he walked down the hall to Kagami’s apartment. 

The music still hummed in his ears and after Sousuke found his key he looked back down the hall and almost stopped walking. 

There, leaning against the door to Kagami’s apartment was none other than Aomine. 

He wasn’t looking at Sousuke, but staring at the door across the hall, he had his knees up and his head resting against the door. He was in a heavy, black fleece jacket and worn looking blue jeans. 

He looked extremely bored, with his jaw sticking out the smallest bit and his eyes blinking slowly as he started at that other door. 

As Sousuke got closer he noticed something else. Aomine had his arms resting on his knees and there was a basketball in his hands, every now and again he’d spin it in between his middle fingers and let the momentum fizz out as he waited. 

When Sousuke was only a few feet away from his door, the track changed over to _Impossible Year._ Aomine finally noticed him, he turned his head lazily and started up with those thin blue eyes. 

Sousuke didn’t say a word, he didn’t even look straight at Aomine. He just looked at the door and took a step closer, his key in hand. 

It seemed Aomine got the message that Sousuke didn’t even want to give him the time of day. And the bluenette seemed more than alright with that as he silently scooted over off the door. 

Sousuke slipped his key in the lock and practically jumped through the door. 

His shoved his headphones off his ears just in time to hear Aomine’s head lean back against the door with a small _thud._

Sousuke glared at the door for a few seconds before he dropped his backpack on the ground and started to get rid of his shoes. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami was actually coming home just in time to make dinner with Sousuke. Kagami scratched the back of his head as he waited for the elevator to reach his floor. 

He sighed into the silent little box. In the moment his eyes shut, the doors dinged to life and slid open.

Kagami saw him the moment the doors opened. It was impossible _not to._

Aomine was quite literally on his doorstep, the only problem was that Kagami wasn’t on the other side of it so he could properly slam it in his face. 

But there was no avoiding it. It wasn’t as if Kagami could just run off to a hotel for the night and not tell Sousuke. 

Although, he could _call_ Sousuke, tell him what happened and be on his way, the kid could handle himself for one night and they still had a few leftovers in the fridge--

No. No, the argument here wasn’t whether or not _Sousuke_ was mature enough to be left alone for one night. The argument was about Kagami being a responsible adult and not running away from his problems. 

And with that, Kagami stepped off the elevator just before the doors sid shut on him. 

Kagami stiffened his back before he’d even noticed what he’d done. He too slow, what he hoped appeared to be causal, steps to his door. Half way there Aomine turned his head to look at him. 

Over the past week Kagami’s head be filled with the image of Aomine smirking at him, sneering and watching his eyes grow bored as Kagami talked to him.

At this moment, Aomine looked almost scared. Kagami could tell from the way his mouth frowned, but his eyes were open a little wider and his brow raised worriedly. 

Aomine pushed himself up off the floor as Kagami approached. Kagami almost instantly noticed the damn basketball Aomine was holding in his right hand. 

“Hi,”

One word in and Kagami already knew Aomine was completely out of his element. Aomine didn’t say _‘Hi’_ , he said _‘Hey’_ or _‘Oi’_ or just grunted because he didn’t feel bothered to actually enunciate a response.

Aomine didn’t know what the fuck he was doing. He knew that and so did Kagami. And the moron probably assumed that Kagami knew on top of that. 

Yet he was still here. 

Dear god he all that from a _‘Hi’_. Kagami was really over thinking this shit. 

“Hey.” Kagami replied. He slipped his hands into the pouch of his black hoodie. “So, why are you here, Aomine?” 

Aomine glanced away and rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand. 

“Sorry for being a dick last week?” 

“Is that a question?” Kagami said, cocking his head to the side slightly. “Are you _asking_ if you were a dick and if you should apologize? Because yea, a huge one and yea, ya should.” 

“Okay I deserved that--” 

“You deserve a _lot_ of things Aomine,” Kagami cut in, shrugging a little. 

Kagami was surprised he managed to school his face as he watched Aomine twitch the smallest bit. 

“I’m _aware_ ,” the smile on Aomine’s face was tight. “And I just wanted to say tha--” 

“I feel like saying that you need to leave, again. I don’t want to bother my neighbors when I punt your head at the wall.” 

Aomine took the basketball in both his hands and squeezed it as he spoke, “And I’ll go as soon a--” 

“As soon as I tell you to because that’s the civil thing to do here, Aomine,” 

Aomine nodded sarcastically. “Oh yeah, because you’re just being a damn _peach_ about all this shi--” 

“Why are you here?” 

“Because I--” 

“Why are you here, what are you trying to accomplish and why the _fuck_ are you holding a basketball, Aomine--?” 

“BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW HOW ELSE TO APOLOGIZE!” Aomine shouted. Then he froze, staring at Kagami like a kid who’d just knocked over a lamp. 

“Fuck, T-Kagami,” he looked away again, “I tried to think of something else… but everything that comes out of my mouth is _shit_ , example A: last week. And I just… just… shit man, I thought if there was ever a common ground between us it would be…” 

Aomine lifted his hand, offering out the ball. 

Kagami huffed out a small laugh, “You came to apologize with a game?” _This idiot._

Aomine’s eyes made their way towards him again. He still looked nervous as shit. 

Kagami let out another small laugh he couldn’t contain, “It’s too late for basketball, Aomine,” he said as he shook his head.

That nervous look fell away, getting replaced by something that was cousins with pure horror and worry. 

“Too late?” he breathed, “Fuck, Kagami was I really--or have you--?” Aomine’s eyes just kept going wider and _wider_ , “No, no, did your knee give? God, no. Kagami I can’t believe that I w--” 

“Aomine,” Kagami cut in again, he raised both his hands out of his pockets. “Whoa, whoa, it’s too late _at night_ ,” Kagami explained. “It’s January, Aho, we’d freeze.” 

Aomine’s lips parted in understanding. The hall was silent for about two and a half seconds. 

“So wait, you’ll play me?”

Kagami snorted, “Yes, but this isn’t _‘forgiveness’_ or some shit though,” Kagami raised his hands in air quotes. 

“No, hah, I wasn’t expecting it to be,” Aomine now just looked damn awkward. Which didn’t happen often. Or, it didn’t happen all that much two years ago. 

Aomine stepped away from the door quickly. 

“So, shit, uh,” Aomine floundered for a second before settling on the word, “Bye?” Aomine fiddled with the ball, bouncing it between his hands before slipping it under his arm. 

Kagami snorted again, his hand on the door knob. 

“Why the hell are you so nervous, Aomine?” 

Aomine looked absolutely _indignant_. “Because it’s _you_. I step wrong and you’ll rip my head off.” 

“I wouldn’t rip your head off,” Kagami smirked. “Now, I’d rip your balls off, but not your head.” 

“ _Yeah_ , exactly,” Aomine said. “But, good night, I guess?” 

“Yeah,” Kagami said slowly. And right after Aomine started walking down the hall, the basketball tucked under his arm. 

“Wait.” 

Aomine froze in the hallway. Kagami fucking froze too. Why the fuck did he say that? The exchange had gone without any yelling or blood. Hell, Kagami would go as far as saying it’d gone _well_. Why did he have to go and mess that up? If he pushed his luck he and Aomine would just end up screaming at each other again. 

“It's too late for a game but you can still,” Kagami pushed open his door and gave a quick wave towards it. 

Aomine turned around slowly, stared at him, stared at the door, then back to him again. 

He looked confused as fuck.

“Huh?” Aomine asked. 

“You wanna come in?” 

Holy shit why the hell did he just say that? 

_Well_ , Kagami half registered the fact that he rolled his shoulders back, _no backing down now, dumbass._

“Say what now?” Aomine asked. 

Kagami rolled his eyes, “C’mon shit head, I’m letting you inside. You need to apologize to Sousuke too, anyway.” 

Aomine frowned, “Inside?” 

“ _Yes_ , dumbass.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke was laid out across the sofa, he’d had one headphone off his ear and had been waiting for shouting. 

But there wasn’t any. 

Sousuke _tched_ at his phone screen. Yeah it was disappointing but only because the chance of snapping a video of Kagami’s asshole ex boyfriend running for his life towards the elevator woulda been _great_. 

Sousuke’s hand snapped to put his headphones back in place when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Sousuke dropped his phone onto his stomach and propped himself up onto his elbow. He craned his head to look up over the back of the couch.

He watched Kagami come through the entry hall followed by--

“What the fuck _he_ doing here?” Sousuke’s mouth fell open. 

Kagami instantly bristled, “Watch your language--!”

But he was bulldozed over. 

“That’s it, I’m not apologizing to that little shit,” Aomine scoffed. 

“Sou--Aomi--,” Kagami grit his teeth. 

“Hey, Kagami, can we talk in the kitchen?” Sousuke cut in. He sprung off the sofa and tried to give off an aura of _‘Fuckin’ now pls’_. 

Kagami’s alien eyebrows furrowed and with a side glance at Aomine he mumbled out, “Sure.” 

Kagami hesitantly walked into the kitchen meanwhile Sousuke had half a mind to parkour over the bar counter before deciding against it. 

Kagami looked extremely confused as Sousuke leaned in close, hopefully the gravity of this situation was reflected in his facial expression. 

“Do you have some kinda masochistic streak I don’t know about?” Sousuke hissed. 

Kagami’s expression flipped like a lightswitch from confusion to P.O.-ed. 

“What the _hell?_ ” 

“That’s my question…!” Sousuke said, “Seriously! Why the hell is _he_ here? You wanted to stab each other’s eyes out less than a week ago.” 

“Oh, that hasn’t changed,” Kagami huffed as he folded his arms. 

“Then why is he _still_ here?” Sousuke asked. 

Kagami relaxed slightly and he got that freaky-deaky _parental_ look on his face where his eyes got all soft and his eyebrows stopped furrowing. 

“Because he and I need to learn to be civil,” he explained. “Now, take off all the _gear_ and help me with dinner,” Kagami said with a small nod at his headphones. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke didn’t know how the hell this little set up came to be, but he didn’t fucking like it. 

Kagami had decided to roast a chicken, which was fantastic. 

Aomine decided to watch from the bar counter. 

Also apparently the guy was a lazy ass fuck because his shoes had been left in the _middle_ of the entry way, he left his jacket on the _back of the couch_ and that stupid basketball was left on the _coffee table_. 

Yeah, Kagami had gotten pissed and yelled at him to clear his own shit up. But still!

What the hell, bruh??

And now, the blue haired fucker looked perfectly at home. He had his elbows up on the countertop and his chin resting on his palms as he watched. 

Kagami was busy seasoning the bird while Sousuke was stuck peeling potatoes. 

“So Kagami, you still work downtown at Pavilion?” 

Kagami nodded, he still had his back turned to Aomine. 

“Yeah, y’know we actually got a remodel last year,” Kagami said, glancing over his shoulder. 

“Wow, really?” Aomine said. Sousuke went to the other side of the kitchen to throw away some peels and on the way back. He checked to make sure Kagami was still turned around before turning to sneer at Aomine and flip him off with both hands as he walked sideways back to the cutting board. 

Aomine glared right back, mouthing _‘Bite me’_ and snapped his teeth together with a hollow little _‘clack’._

“Yeah, both the dining room and kitchen, freezer’s a mess as always though,” Kagami mused as he turned around, wiping his hands on the dish towel draped over his shoulder. 

Sousuke threw his hands down so fast they hit his thighs with a little _‘slap’_ and Aomine awkwardly changed his sneer into a very fake smile. 

“Wow, no kidding,” Aomine said. 

****

###  **➺➺**

So dinner was pretty amazing, the chicken was as mouth watering as one would expect. _Kagami_ had made it after all. 

Plus Sousuke got to see Aomine try to burn holes in his head when he sat _right between_ him and Kagami. 

Kagami instantly started to dig in and Sousuke himself had only just gotten one bite of roasted green beans in his mouth when Aomine spoke. 

“So how old are you anyway?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at Sousuke as he stabbed a little roasted potato cube with his fork. 

“16,” Sousuke said before he turned back to eating. 

“And how long did it take to convince yourself that you look cool?” Aomine asked. 

“Aho--!”

“‘Bout a week,” Sousuke said with shrug, “And how old are you? 40?” 

“26,” Aomine grunted, his eyelids hung low, and he managed to look both bored and pissed. 

“Ohh~,” Sousuke said with an exaggerated nod, “Al’ the,” Sousuke gestured to his own forehead with his fork, “Wrinkles threw me off, y’know?” 

“Sousu--” this time it was Aomine who interrupted Kagami. 

“And _I_ just came to the realization that you’re not a racoon.” 

Sousuke _really_ resisted the urge kick that blue haired bastard under the counter as he cut into his chicken thigh. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Ahomine!” Kagami snapped, “You need to get back here and help!” 

Sousuke just glared across the room as he gathered up the three empty plates off the counter. 

Aomine had his head thrown back across the top of the couch, he turned his head to the side and _smiled_.

“Aw, but I’m tired, Baka,” 

Sousuke almost dropped the plates in his hands. He didn’t know Aomine’s face did that, or at least not genuinely. He also wasn’t expecting Aomine’s face too look like it did when he smiles. 

Sousuke would’ve assumed it was this creepy, slightly homicidal smirk thing. But instead the magic marker lines on his forehead suddenly vanished and his teeth shined a bright white. 

He heard Kagami sigh and watched in _horror_ when the redhead just turned around and picked up his own glass and Sousuke’s off the counter. 

When Kagami made it over to the sink Sousuke leaned closer and hissed, _“What was--?”_

“He’d end up smashing half the dishes anyway,” Kagami muttered. He then turned on the sink. 

****

###  **➺➺**

It was after dinner and the dishes had been washed and put away and this _would’ve_ been the moment Sousuke ran away to his room and just looked up music videos for the next seven hours. 

But he _couldn’t_. Not with _him_ here. 

Aomine had just made himself the fuck at home on Kagami’s sofa, leaning to the side a bit with his head back against the top, his arm slung over the back aswell and his feet on the coffee table. With a stupid little smile on his face. 

Sousuke made sure to glare at the moron as he stepped over his legs to flop down in the middle of the sofa. 

Aomine shared his gaze before he looked up at Kagami who came in from the kitchen. 

“You talked to Tetsu lately?” he asked. 

Kagami nodded as he walked around the coffee table to sit. 

“Yeah, I had lunch with him a little while ago, you talked to him yet?” 

“Uh,” Aomine shifted in his seat. And Sousuke leaned further back into the leather sofa. Just. Watching. 

“No, not yet.” 

“Ah, okay,” Kagami said. Then Sousuke’s foster parent turned to stare at the television. 

There was a basketball game on. 

_Great._

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke had burrowed himself as deeply into the sofa as was possible.

Meanwhile Aomine and Kagami were both hanging off the edge. The two of them were almost _vibrating_ , what the heckie. He didn’t know why but the two of them looked like two little kids. Oh! And he kept asking himself _why Aomine was still here._

He also didn’t know what exactly was happening on screen, but a dude in a red jersey managed to dunk the ball into the hoop and then a buzzer went off and before he even knew _what_ to think Kagami jumped up off the sofa on one side of him, and Aomine off the other. 

“YES!!” Kagami cheered, he had both his arms raised in fists above his head and a huge smile plastered on his face. “DID YOU SEE THAT??” 

“‘COURSE I SAW IT, DUMBASS!!” Aomine cheered back. 

Sousuke squinted up at the two of them, Kagami glanced at Aomine for a moment, still with that big ol’ smile on his face before turning back to the television to watch people lose their shit and run onto the court. 

But Aomine didn’t turn away, he kept staring straight at Kagami with his strange look on his face. This bittersweet, fond, lo--

 _Oh fuck no_. Sousuke inwardly seethed. 

Aomine was _not_ allowed to look at Kagami like _that_. 

****

###  **➺➺**

The goodbye was extremely awkward. But also fast. It was only about seven minutes after the basketball game ended, if that. Aomine had snatched up his basketball and said the food was good before the door shut behind him. 

Not 45 seconds later, Sousuke was slamming shut his own door and pulling out the most used text conversion. 

Ranting to Rin was always nice because you’d come to him with a problem with an importance rating of about seven and he’d hike it up to a 19 in under 30 characters. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

### Six Years Ago:

_Thunder was fucking loud in the thin walls of Kagami’s shitty little apartment._

_The only lights came from the two big, old windows. Everything looked washed out by the water droplet shadows. Kagami was sulking on the shitty double mattress in his shitty apartment that he shared with his shitty,_ shitty _boyfriend as he watched water droplet shadows slide down across the worn out floorboard and tiny kitchenette. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and a blanket over his shoulders._

_But seriously, the apartment was so bad. It was only one room even. Kagami didn’t count the bathroom, because it was more of a broom closet with a toilet and don’t even get him started on the shower. The hot water always gave out and it was also shit._

_There was a tiny table in the sorry excuse for a kitchen area and he didn’t even own a sofa. It was usually the bed that was used if anyone wanted to sit anywhere. And there was an old, old, TV on an appropriated nightstand by the door to the bathroom._

_The rain drummed outside and Kagami continued to act pathetic._

_Kagami didn’t even want to mentally address the fact that he was lucky the_ ‘apartment’ _didn’t have any leaks because as soon as he did he knew that was when the entire fucking ceiling would cave in._

_There was a loud bang and Kagami almost jumped out of his skin because that had to be one of the beams giving in and he was about to get crushed by an old shitty building._

_Then the bang came again, and again. And it was by like the eighth bang that it finally clicked in Kagami’s_ ‘done with life’s shit’ _brain that the bangs were coming from his door and not the ceiling._

“TAAAAIGAAA!!” _a voice shouted through the door, followed by more banging._

 _Ohhhh nooo. That was one of life’s biggest shits calling and he was_ done _with those._

 _“GO AWAY!” Kagami shouted back._

“Taigaaa!! Lemme IN!! I’m freezing my ass off out here!!” 

_“GO FUCK YOURSELF!!”_

_The sigh from the other side of the door was so loud Kagami actually heard it clearly._

“Taiga please, you don’t have to let me inside, but please, baby, please open the door.” 

Oh fuck me, _Kagami thought as he stared hard at the door._

_He battled with himself for a grand total of 12 seconds. Then Kagami was doing something really, really stupid. He was shrugging off the wonderfully fuzzy blanket that was the only not shitty thing about his life at the moment and scrambling towards the door._

_Kagami was aware he was pouting like a five year old when he answered the door and he was aware that he was only in a baggy green tee shirt and baggy-_ er _black boxers. But did he give a damn?_

No. 

No he did not. 

_Kagami opened the door and there on the other side, was a drowned rat._

_Aomine was standing in the hallway, completely soaked to the bone and standing in his own personal puddle. His blue hair hung down on his forehead and water dripped off every part of him. The old blue and gray plaid flannel he was wearing looked to be acting as a great sponge, his white tee shirt was a sopping mess, even his old blue jeans were completely drowned. And right at that exact moment a flash of lightning went off from outside the windows._

_It was so pathetic looking and so fucking unfair._

_“Taiga you need to listen to me,” Aomine said, he raised of his hands up in front of him, the cuff of the flannel dripped with water. It finally caught up with Kagami that Aomine didn’t own flannel so that shirt was probably_ his. 

_“If you don’t want me here I’ll stay over at Tetsu’s but just_ listen.” 

_Kagami crossed his arms over his chest. So what if Aomine looked really pathetic and his stupid blue eyes were pleading to be let in and get wrapped up in blankets? He was still an asshole._

_An asshole who always managed to find any sort of crack in Kagami’s resolve and chip away at it before he was let back in again. But an asshole nonetheless._

_“No,” Kagami was_ putting his foot down _this time around. “I’m not gonna listen. I’ve given you enough chances as it is--”_

_“Taiga it’s been two days!” Aomine cut in, “And it isn’t my fault I don’t even remember it!”_

_“That doesn’t matter!” Kagami growed. “We’ve been together for four fucking years Daiki and I leave you alone for 20 minutes and I see you with some girl’s tongue down your throat! I’m not just letting you back in you dick!”_

_“You wanna know what I did after I kissed her? Tetsu told me,” Aomine hissed, he leaned closer, gripping his hands on the doorframe._

_Kagami glared at him, “N--”_

_“I fucking passed out, Taiga because I spent the whole night showing your asshole brother that I could handle your American Jack Daniels shit,” Aomine said._

_Kagami didn’t budge._

_“Urgh!” Aomine growled as he threw his hands off the doorframe. “The last person I remember kissing who wasn’t you was my_ mother, _Taiga! I don’t remember shit about it and even if I did it wouldn’t matter because it_ wasn’t you.” 

_Aomine stared at him again. Stared hard with those blue, blue eyes and with water dripping out his hair._

_Kagami slowly ran a hand through his hair. He looked into those blue eyes and only asked one more thing._

_“Why did you come running back to this shitty apartment, Daiki?”_

_“Because you’re in it.” not even a beat of hesitation._

_Aomine Daiki was going to ruin him._

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

School on Tuesday for Sousuke was uneventful up until where he got to vent to Rin about the fact that his and Kagami’s somewhat perfect lives were about to get upturned by some shit head. It was so _unfair._

Rain rushed past the windows of the classroom as Rin and Sousuke ate. Apparently today was one of those January days where it wasn’t cold enough to snow but it was still some pretty frigid rain outside. But the weather wasn’t important, getting it into Rin’s head that Sousuke’s life was just _that much closer_ to becoming unbearable was. 

“The fucker was giving Kagami fucking doe eyes the entire night,” Sousuke growled around another bite of pork. “It’s like so gross dude. I don’t even get why Kagami let him _in!_ I mean yeah he wasn’t like doting on the guy or anything but still? Why let him into your house?” 

Rin shrugged and snagged his own piece of pork out of Sousuke’s bento. Sousuke would’ve gotten mad, but honestly he needed the help with the portions Kagami always packed for him. 

“Didn’t he mention something about being civil?” Rin asked. 

Sousuke huffed through his nose, “Well yeah, but it’s just as easy to be civil with someone if you stay on the opposite side of the city as them.” 

“Maybe they don’t wanna?” 

Sousuke almost choked on the food in his mouth, “You aren’t saying they’d wanna get back together. I mean, I don’t give a shit about Aomine but _Kagami_ , there is _no way--!_ ” 

“Dude, chill,” Rin said with a little wave of his chopsticks, “They probably just wanna be friends, you said they had fun watching basketball, right?” 

Sousuke paused, taking a moment to pop a piece of broccoli into his mouth. Rin continued explaining as Sousuke thought. 

“It could be that they were good friends before, so maybe it’s just that,” Rin said with a shrug. 

Sousuke nodded slowly, “Yeah, probably.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Last period was History. Which was honestly the _worst_. 

It was the end of the day, with freedom so close Sousuke could almost taste it…! 

Only for a guy in his thirties to start talking about people who all died 4,000 years ago. 

Let’s just say, it put a damper on things. 

And when Sousuke’s teacher announced a _‘Research project with a partner’_ Sousuke really felt like when he rolled his eyes there was a good chance they’d get stuck in his head. 

Sousuke lowered his head down on his desk with a sigh when the teacher said they could choose their partners as a little _‘getting closer to the end of the year!’_ present. 

Sousuke just had to wait for Rin to saunter over then they’d have to go pick a topic for the paper. 

_Lovely._

“Yamazaki-kun?” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

There’d been a small kink in the work schedule today for Kagami so it turned out his shift ended over an hour before he thought it would. But that was more than okay. Especially because Kagami just got to sit at the bar counter in his kitchen, sipping a cup of chai tea every now and again as he scrolled through stuff on his tablet. 

And because his entire life was just cooking and basketball, Kagami was currently trying to figure out tonight’s dinner while swiping his way past certain recipes. Oyakodons. A classic. That’d be nice to have. Hearty, good because of the crappy weather that hadn’t gone away, and it was simple enough to make. Pretty perfect in Kagami’s book.

Kagami was tapping away to bookmark the recipe and took another sip of his tea when he heard the front door open. It was right around when Sousuke should be getting home from school so he didn’t question it. He heard the the tail sounds of over sized boots abusing the poor wooden floors of his entry way. 

“Ah, sorry for the intrusion.” 

“You don’t need to say that, Tachibana.” 

“Oh, uhm, sorry, Yamazaki-kun.” 

“It’s fine, let’s just go to my room.” 

“Ah, heh, a-alright.” 

“Calm down Tachibana, geeze.” 

Okay. So it seemed that Sousuke brought someone home. Someone who quite obviously wasn’t Rin. If it were Rin the two punk wannabes would be strutting down the hall all proud because they’d stocked up on mascara at Walgreens. 

Plus, y’know, Sousuke had already referred to the other person as Tachibana if that wasn’t enough of a hint. 

He heard more _surprisingly quiet_ footsteps down the entry hall and just before they came out Kagami asked, “Sousuke, is that you?” 

He heard the floorboards creak from a sudden stop. 

“Yeah,” Sousuke’s voice grunted. Kagami smiled as he turned around on the bar stool. Just in time to see Sousuke and his friend Tachibana walk into the living room. 

Sousuke looked like a coiled spring, like he was just _straining_ not to bound off to his room and never been seen or heard of again. He was in the same shabby get up he was always in, in one variation or another. The whole rolled up sleeves, open button down with a shirt that only said _‘F O B’_ on it, whatever the hell fob that was, with a tie as loose as it could be, spikes in his ears and heavy lidded eyes that popped from the okay-enough eyeliner. 

Then there was Sousuke’s friend. 

His polar _opposite._

The boy standing in his living room looked like he’d just walked out of some home goods catalogue. 

His khaki slacks were ironed, he had dress shoes on, his shirt was buttoned up to the collar, tie done up in a way that could only be described as _primly_. 

He was tall, the boy’s face was lightly tanned, his brown hair was longer than Sousuke’s and more wispy, and he had these warm, warm green eyes. The boy smiled politely at Kagami. Which was very nice, usually Sou and Rin would just wave or grunt or ask if he had any food. 

“Hi there, and Sousuke, you didn’t tell me you were bringing someone over,” Kagami said a he smiled at the brunette. 

Tachibana’s green eyes widened, “You didn’t get permission to invite me, Yamazaki-kun?” he asked. He turned towards Sousuke with with almost _scandalized_ look.

“I don’t need _permission_ ,” Sousuke said quickly with a little snort. 

Kagami raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me young man?” 

Sousuke shot him a blank look, “Oh shut up, you’re not even 30.” 

Tachibana gasped slightly, “Yamazaki-kun, you should be more respectful.” 

“I like him,” Kagami said.

“Oh my god…” Sousuke groaned, “Tachibana let’s just go to my room okay?”

Tachibana gave Sousuke a look that was something akin to an older sibling to politely asking the younger to _shut up_. 

Then Tachibana turned back to Kagami, smiled brightly and held out his hand. 

“Good afternoon, Yamazaki-san, I’m sorry for the intrusion,” he said, “My name’s Tachibana Makoto.” 

Kagami smiled and shook the boy’s hand. He had a nice grip, this _Makoto_. Kagami felt like there was this little light bulb that had gone off over his head and when he glanced at Sousuke, the kid must've seen it too. 

But it seemed that Sousuke wanted whatever was happening to be over as soon as possible. 

“His name’s Kagami,” Sousuke blurted out. Makoto let go of Kagami’s hand and shot Sousuke a weird look but all Sousuke did was grab the other boy’s bicep. “C’mon, we have a project to work on,” he said before dragging the brunette through the living room and down the hall. 

“Lovely to meet you, Makoto!” Kagami called out after them. 

Ah, man. Kagami almost wanted to slap himself for making assumptions but he couldn’t stop grinning. 

Sousuke was crushing on the boy next door. 

And it was adorable. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke had _finally_ gotten Tachibana back to his room and he quickly remember that he was still holding the guy’s arm. Or his bicep. His seeming hard as steel, extremely defined bicep. Sousuke snatched his hand away as if burned. 

He quickly looked away from the stupidly pretty brunette. 

There was _no way_ Tachibana was ripped under that school uniform. Things like that just didn’t happen. The universe didn’t _make_ people who were tall and had great smiles and overwhelming kindness _and_ abs.

There was no way.

“Uh, so, history,” Sousuke started off awkwardly. They had to do a research paper. Together. Because life hated Sousuke. 

Tachibana only smiled at him. 

“You can, uh, sit and get your notes out. I'll get my laptop.” 

Tachibana nodded before going over to sit on the edge of Sousuke’s bed. Meanwhile Sou half threw himself into his old desk chair and flipped up the screen of his laptop. 

And as he logged in he suddenly remembered his wallpaper was the album cover for _Danger Days._

He’d need to change that. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Somehow it had ended where Sousuke and Tachibana both were on the floor, notes strewn out around them and Sousuke’s laptop between them. They’d both gotten out of their school blazers and Sousuke opted for just wearing his tee shirt while all Tachibana had done was loosen his tie. The window above Sousuke’s bed let in a silvery gray light into the room. The shadows from the rain scattered out across their papers.

No one was really talking at the moment, Tachibana was biting on the end of his pen as he looked over his notes and Sousuke was scrolling through some link. 

“So… Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana spoke up. 

“Hm?” 

“Do you mind if I ask a question?” Tachibana asked. Sousuke shook his head, still focused on the screen. 

“Who is Kagami-san?” Tachibana asked, he sounded very… tentative. 

“Foster parent,” Sousuke grunted out. It wasn’t like he was hiding anything after all.

“Oh,” was all Tachibana said. It was quiet for another half a minute, with only the sound of the rain outside, before Sousuke glanced up.

Tachibana was staring at him, still worrying at the end of his pen. His big green eyes looked apologetic. 

“It’s fine, don’t look at me like I’m some kicked puppy,” Sousuke said. “Kagami’s a cool guy.” 

Tachibana nodded. 

And that was followed by Sousuke almost jumping out of his damn skin because the door opened. 

“Hey boys,” Kagami said from the door, he was wearing a bright smile. Tachibana grinned back at him. Sousuke just glared. 

“Come to the kitchen, dinner’s ready,” Kagami said with a nod to the side. 

“Thank you Kagami-san,” Tachibana said as he set his notebook aside to stand up. “I can’t wait to try your cooking.” 

Sousuke just grunted as he closed his laptop. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“This is _delicious_ Kagami-san,” Tachibana gushed around a bite of egg. They’d only just sat down, with Sousuke and Kagami at their usual seats at the bar counter and Tachibana between them. The brunette was already half done with his bowl. 

“Why thank you, Makoto,” Kagami said with a stupid-ish grin. “So, why don’t you tell me about yourself, Sousuke hasn’t said me much about you.” 

After that Kagami looked over Tachibana’s shoulder at him, the look said something like _‘why the hell didn’t you tell me about him?’_

Tachibana smiled and nodded, “Sure, there isn’t much to say though, Kagami-san.” 

“What’s your family like?” Kagami asked. At the question, Tachibana’s already bright smile shifted into something that genuinely sparkled.

“I live with my mom, dad and twin siblings,” Tachibana explained. “We don’t live too far from here actually. Over by Garden Drive? Anyway my siblings are Ren and Ran. They’re just great kids.” 

Sousuke turned away from the two of them and leaned over his rice bowl. 

“What do you like to do in your free time?” Kagami asked. 

“I watch my siblings a lot,” Tachibana admitted, “Also I spend time with a neighbor of mine who lives on the same floor as us, we’ve been practically raised together. And Kagami-san I meant it when I said this was delicious, and uh, I don’t want to impose but could I have seconds?” 

Kagami laughed. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“So, do you do any cooking, Makoto?” Kagami asked. Sousuke had finished his second bowl and was finished, not just messing around with his chopsticks and he listened to the other two guys talk. Kagami was on his fifth and Tachibana was on his _fourth._

Tachibana stopped to chew for a moment, “No, actually Haru says I’m not allowed in the kitchen.” 

Kagami laughed again, “Aw, can’t be that bad.” 

“I, uh, learned how to make charcoal once,” Tachibana said. “And they were supposed to be brownies. Not to mention I almost broke an electric mixer making the batter.” 

“I see,” Kagami said. 

Sousuke looked up just in time to see Tachibana stand and go over to the stove top to get his _fifth bowl_. Sousuke’s lips parted in astonishment. He looked over at Kagami and the stupid redhead actually looked _proud_. 

“I’ve finally met someone who eats a decent amount of food,” Kagami said. 

Tachibana looked up from where he was spooning rice, before he blushed and looked away again.

****

###  **➺➺**

After they’d done the dishes--Tachibana had demanded he help as a thank you--Sousuke and the brunette had decided they’d done enough work for the day. 

Tachibana was in Sousuke’s room packing up and Sousuke and Kagami were alone in the living room. Kagami was leaning back on the couch and Sousuke was fiddling with one of his bracelets over near the entryway. 

“He’s a keeper,” Kagami suddenly spoke up with his crooked grin on his face. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sousuke muttered. 

Kagami snorted, “You _know_ what I’m talking about.” 

Sousuke narrowed his eyes at him, “Shut up.” 

Kagami only smiled, “You should walk him home, y’know.” 

“I’m not walking him home,” Sousuke said, “He’ll think I’m creepy.” 

“No, he’ll think you’re sweet and it’s common courtesy to walk him home,” Kagami looked at him as if he had brain damage, “Plus it’s raining.” 

“But--,” 

“No buts, if anything just do it to be _polite_ ,” Kagami said with that stupid _‘I’m the grown up’_ aura around him. 

“Fine,” Sousuke said with a frown. The look completely melted away when Tachibana walked out his room, his uniform back in place and he was still _smiling_. 

“Well, have a good evening, Kagami-san, Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana said with a nodd to each of them. 

“Sousuke’s walking you home,” Kagami said, “He offered to after all.” 

Sousuke opened his mouth, about to say _something_ even if he didn’t know _what_ but he was beaten to the punch. 

“Really?” Tachibana said, and that blush was back again, that rich pink that soaked through his warmly tanned cheeks, “Y-You really don’t need to do that, Yamazaki-kun, I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” 

He kinda wanted to slap Kagami for how _right_ he was. 

“It’s not a bother,” he instantly blurted out. Kagami shot him a bright, _knowing_ smile that made Sousuke swap that slap for a kick to the face. 

Sousuke quickly walked to the door to get his shoes and jacket. 

“You boys have fun!” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke ended up holding the umbrella. It turned out Tachibana’s building was indeed not that far away. And the walk involved the two of them avoiding the puddles and Tachibana leading him down the orange lamplight lit streets. 

It wasn’t very quiet, rain drummed down the pavement and cars whirred past and soon Tachibana stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned around to face him. 

They were close, so that two guys as big as they were could fit under the umbrella. 

Tachibana smiled up at him, his face washed over by that warm lamplight. 

Sousuke could feel the vibrations of the rain in the handle of the umbrella. 

“Thank you, Yamazaki-kun, it was very nice of you to walk me home,” Tachibana said over the sound of the rain. “And I had fun today, you’re right, Kagami-san is indeed very cool.” 

Sousuke nodded dumbly. It was raining and Tachibana was right in front of him and a certain song from _The LIttle Mermaid_ soundtrack was playing in his head. 

“Uh, yeah, good night, Tachibana.” 

Tachibana smiled one more time before ducking out from under the umbrella and booking it over to the door of his apartment building. 

“G’night, Yamazaki-kun!” he called with a wave. 

Sousuke stood there, his hand raised in a little pathetic wave back until the door closed behind that perfect brunette. 

Then he turned and looked down the sidewalk, staring off at the way the buildings casted shadows across the concrete before it hit him. 

_Oh shit how do I get back?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo....? Please talk to me


	4. Weight Of The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Got what it takes to be great but can't hold his weight any longer," 
> 
> ~just wanna point out that using song quotes is because I'm lazy, not deep~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BETA-ED BBBBYYYYYY mitsuhideaoi & unmei_na_no_da_yo & fuckup101!!! You are all spectacular. Seriously. It's legible now because of youuuu! I was actually PROUD of this chapter and with your help I've become even more egotistical. 
> 
> Also this chapter took wayyyy too long to post for 3 reasons. 
> 
> 1 - had some internet problems, 2 - babysitting (toddlers like to tap keyboards that SHOULD NOT be tapped), 3 - it's 12,000 words. 
> 
> 12,000 words. When my usual goal for chapters on this story are 6k. I'm so sorryyyyy! I would've split it up but the outline wouldn't allow ittt!
> 
> So ayway~~~ Enjoy!!

It was really noisy. Whoever thought that the kitchen in a fancy restaurant was more proper than a bunch a cooks shouting at each other in an old roadside burger joint. 

They were _gravely_ mistaken. 

Pots clanged, whenever something was flambeed there was a bright splash of flames and some deep, inner part of Kagami always thought of grabbing the fire extinguisher. Knives drummed on cutting boards, the white noise of water boiling filled the room, grease sizzled and honestly cooking was a very loud pastime. It smelled fucking fantastic in there though inside a place that looked like it was covered wall to wall in stainless steel. 

Kagami was only adding to the noise, tearing off some couple more basil leaves because the soup in front of him needed _just_ a little more color. Kagami gently placed the leaves down in the center of the bowl and stepped away las if it were a bomb and not carrot ginger soup. 

Two seconds passed before Kagami deemed the plating as perfect as he could get it. Kagami quickly snatched up the tray beneath it and shouted “ORDER UP!” and slid it onto the steel shelf above his work station. 

Or, the entire kitchen was his work station, but this place was _more_ his spot. He had his phone here after all. 

Kagami had only just washed his hands when another order was sent to him. 

They were always busy at midday. Always.

Even after ten long years… Kagami was still haunted by the treacherous…

JAPANESE LUNCHTIME RUSH. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“So like… let’s just get the viewers caught up shall we. You talked to him last week, he came over to your house Tuesday, you walked him home in the rain and it was all really perfect and sappy but you blew it, then you called Kagami to come find you after wandering the streets for an hour. And now every time you walk into class, Tachibana waves at you and gives you goo-goo eyes but you're still so very, very deep in denial all you do is grunt and act all edgy and cringy.” 

Rin finished off his mocking exposition and popped a piece of broccoli from Sousuke’s lunch into his mouth. 

“Like that lip ring isn’t cringy,” Sousuke huffed, “You got your chopsticks stuck in it last week.” 

“Don’t change the subject!!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Hey! Kagami!!” a sous chef from the front called, he happened to be a short, loud-talking blonde named Eto if anyone cared. And because he was so loud, the waiters tended to use him as a messenger--or yeller he supposed. 

“Yeah?” Kagami called back, closing the oven door he’d just been looking in. The tiny caramel souffles were on point. And why was he making those at noon? Because some person wanted to pay too much to eat them, that’s why. Seriously, the stuff took a few cups of cream and these people could buy the damn cow. 

“Someone wants you out front!!” 

Kagami nodded, moving to one of the over sized sinks to wash his hands. He was kinda… covered in powdered sugar. Only a little. Lot. Ish. Seriously there shouldn’t be so much sugar on him for such a small, confined pastry. It was only a garnish to start with!

But oh well, all he could do was hope there wasn’t any on his face. And simply mentioning that made Kagami groan and grab a hand towel to wipe his cheeks with. 

“Kagami!!” 

“Coming!” Kagami huffed as he tossed the towel down by the sink. 

Kagami wormed his way towards the door. Which actually appeared fucking impossible at first glance. What with the shouting and the fire and knives and shit, y’know? But he managed.

And soon he was pushing open the heavy doors out into the actual dining area with those little, round, looked like they belonged on a boat windows. 

So the dining area was full of whites and beige and tall windows and pristine modern lines, dark, shined wooden floors and people with money who chatted over a bottle of chilled white wine. Because if alcohol was _cold_ and y’know _looked_ kinda like some lemon water it was fine to have seven before noon. 

And because of that it was was pretty darned easy to pick out who’d called him from the kitchens. 

There, standing beside a waiter who was dressed sharply in black slacks, white button down and black vest off to the side of the room was a dude in loose-ish black and red track pants and a heavy charcoal(?) gray hoodie and chunky black sneaks. And a big ol’ sports bag slung over his shoulder. 

Also there was some skin that resembled a burnt marshmallow, blue hair and a crookedly nervous grin. 

_Oh how fuckin’ lovely._

Aomine.

Okay, yeah, their last encounter had been pretty smooth sailing and they even had dinner, which was pushing it. A _lot._

So how much room did they have left before shit blew up again? 

And _guess what_ , Kagami didn’t want to get fired for causing a disruption when it did!

Aomine’s weird grin widened and he shot Kagami a half assed little wave when he saw him walk through the doors. 

Kagami felt his lips draw back off his teeth, was it a smile? There was no real way of knowing. 

He quickly walked over to the side of the room, luckily it was a pretty out of the way little spot that they’d taken Aomine. As soon as Kagami made it over the waiter decided to make himself scarce, an expression of _‘I have better things to do’_ written across his face. 

“Hey,” Aomine said with a small nod, “When’s your lunch break?” 

Kagami opened his mouth, expecting to get a chance to ask the whole _‘whaat the fuck are you doing here?’_ spiel before having to answer any questions himself. 

Kagami shut his mouth and blinked. He didn’t know what the fuck the time was… so he quickly snagged his phone out of his back pocket. He clicked the screen to life, an evil little part of him smiling at the image of Sousuke trying to glare him to death while quite literally being _covered_ in flour. He’d kinda put all the dry ingredients for biscuits into the food mixer and turned it up to high by accident last night. Kagami had _told_ him he’d use it as wallpaper, and he was a man of his word dammit. 

But back to the ever present now, Kagami checked the time and noticed that _hey_ his break was only in another ten minutes. 

“15 minutes,” Kagami mumbled out as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Aomine smiled. 

“Sweet! You owe me a game,” Aomine said.

Kagami furrowed his eyebrows, “A what now?” 

“A game, Baka. You said we’d play, and I thought I’d catch you before my shift started,” Aomine said with a shake of his head. Y’know that _‘god you’re so stupid’_ shake of the head that someone always gives you when something makes sense in _their_ head but there’s some mistranslation between that and what comes out of their mouth. 

“I’m at _work_ Aomine,” Kagami explained, “I can’t just waltz out.” 

“You just said you had a break!” Aomine huffed, “C’mon, we haven’t played in two years.” 

“And who’s fault is that?” Kagami snapped. 

“Ouch,” Aomine grimaced, “No mercy huh?” Aomine stared at him with those fucking thin blue eyes. 

Kagami only narrowed his. 

“Kagami, dude, I already spent 4,000 yen on a bottle of wine _just_ so they’d let me in,” Aomine pleaded. Or, pleaded in that Aomine way that made it sound as if he’d just climbed Mount fucking Everest when in reality all he did was spend the same amount of money it’d take to buy 3 large pizzas. Aomine would’ve had better luck with the pizzas, if he was being honest. 

But… Kagami had just gotten through a tiny inner monologue about being a man of his word. 

_Fuck._

“Okay fine,” Kagami huffed, “Wait out front and I’ll see you in a few, got it?” 

“Yeah, yeah, got it,” Aomine said, flashing him another grin before he turned around and headed for the door. His sports bag clinking as he did. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Aomine was out by the front of the restaurant, leaning again the corner of the building like some expectant little dog. 

And Kagami had some pretty clear feelings about dogs. But all the same, Kagami shoved his hands into the heavenly giant pockets of the light gray joggers he’d changed into in record time. He didn’t want to play ball in something he’d spilled chicken stock on this morning. 

Aomine instantly spotted him walk from around the side of the building and smiled again. Why the hell was he smiling so much? Kagami distinctly remembered having to be the one to drag Aomine’s brunt ass out of bed some mornings in a cloud of groans and swearing just so they could play a game or two. 

“You remember the court a few blocks down, right?” Aomine asked. 

“Yeah, dumbass, haven’t stopped using it,” Kagami snorted. He just stood there, hands in his pockets and quickly becoming aware that his maroon jacket was too light for January. 

“Oh, shit, right,” Aomine shifted the bag on his shoulder again and glanced away. “Well, then you can lead the way,” he groused, changing the subject _and_ getting Kagami to do something for him. 

Typical Ahomine. 

But Kagami still turned on his heel and started down the sidewalk. 

****

###  **➺➺**

The walk to the court was a short one, they’d both done a tiny little jog to get there. If only to warm up because it was fucking freezing out. 

The court was empty, because who would be playing basketball on a work day when it was this fucking cold? 

Idiots, that’s who. 

Kagami had only just unzipped his jacket when Aomine snagged the worn orange ball from out of his bag and rushed to the middle of the old, cracked cement. 

“You don’t wanna warm up?” Kagami asked. 

“Let’s take it slow a first,” Aomine said, he rolled his shoulders back and started dribbling, then he leaned down and smirked as he got ready, “That should be enough, right?” 

Kagami couldn’t help but smile as he strolled out to the center of the court. It was nice seeing Aomine dragging his own weight for once. 

“Yeah, let’s take it slow,” Kagami said. 

He looked back into Aomine’s eyes. Letting the lie settle between them. 

Goddamn Aomine. Damn him too. 

‘Cause they didn’t even know what slow _was_. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami wasn’t cold anymore, holy shit he wished he’d worn shorts. Now, there was no way past him would’ve known that Aomine was gonna barge into his workplace and demand a game but he _really_ wished he’d worn shorts. 

He’d shucked off his jacket after Aomine had scored his fourth shot. And two dunks after that Aomine had tossed his hoodie off to the side somewhere. 

They were basically just _running_ , up and down the court. From the the edge of the court back to the goal again. Kagami had his arms spread wide, his face a weird mix of stern concentration and stupid grin. Aomine was dribbling the ball just two feet away, his back turned and the side of his face showing off a mischievous look. 

The gross little line of sweat that trickled down the back of Kagami’s neck didn’t distract him when Aomine stepped to the left in what Kagami _totally_ knew was a fake. 

Slow his _ass._

****

###  **➺➺**

Aomine laughed triumphantly as his hands slapped down on the old, netless rim of the basketball hoop. Those lean muscled arms tensed as he held himself up off the cracked ground for a moment. Kagami stood under him, completely oblivious to the ball as it dropped down to the ground once again. 

When Aomine let go of the rim and dropped back down he _smiled._

The grin was arrogant and happy and his entire stance oozed out smug confidence. 

It was like every one on one they’d ever had. And it felt like some freaky little montage was playing through his head in that moment. All these clips of them together. Of battling for shoes that this moron handed over anyway, playing for who’d foot the Maji bill. Hell, sometimes they’d play to see who’d pay rent that month. One time Kagami refused to play for a week because Aomine _hadn’t_ paid the rent. The fucker had almost cried. 

They’d played after the Touou graduation, with Aomine grinning ear to ear because he’d _‘beaten’_ Kagami to a diploma even though the ceremonies were just _scheduled_ differently. 

They’d played after a huge fight one time. Kagami didn’t even remember what started it. But he remembered Kuroko tricking him into coming to an old court, a lot like this one, like every one they liked to frequent. And Kagami remembered almost _sprinting_ in the other direction when he’d heard Aomine’s telltale bitching for Kise to leave him alone from up the street. 

They’d played when Aomine got accepted into Police Academy, and again when Kagami got into culinary school. 

They’d do anything and their next instinct was always, _always_ this. A game. Together. 

“Hey Kagami!” Aomine huffed, tossing the ball at him, _hard_ , “Don’t space out on me, gotta kick your ass one more time ya know? Make it an even 30,” Aomine snickered. 

“You’re only up by _two_ you shit!” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami wanted to fall face first into the court, but instead all he did was flop down on the bench. He realized he didn’t have a water bottle and let out an annoyed grunt. 

He heard the wooden bench creak to his left and then something hit his shoulder. 

Kagami glanced up to see a plastic water bottle getting shoved in his face. 

“Thanks,” Kagami muttered as he took the bottle. 

Aomine only grunted as he turned away, his own bottle caught between his teeth at the neck as he rummaged through his bag. 

Kagami swiped a hand over his face, while he tried to haphazardly twist off the bottle cap with only one hand with the other. 

_“Shhhheehhhtt!”_ Aomine hissed from around the bottle in his mouth. 

Kagami turned his head to see Aomine glaring down at his phone. 

“What?” Kagami asked, he raised an eyebrow when he watched Aomine jump to his feet and shove the basketball that was by the bench into his bag. 

“First day back and I’m late,” Aomine huffed. 

“Since when do you care about being late?” Kagami asked. 

“It was a miracle that I’m back in the 13th as it is,” Aomine growled, “Wakamatsu’s gonna kill me.” 

Kagami laughed, “Oh shit, you’re back there _again?_ Tell the chief I said hi.” 

“If I make it through the doors alive, sure,” Aomine huffed as he hurriedly zipped up his hoodie. 

“Just give Wakamatsu that bottle of wine,” Kagami suggested. Aomine paused in mid-swinging his bag back over his shoulder and turning to look for his hoodie-motion. 

“I was gonna give it to Satsuki,” Aomine pouted, frowning down at his bag. 

Kagami laughed again, “Aww, how sweet of you.” 

“Hah!” Aomine barked, “Don’t get any ideas, I need some way to apologize for crashing on her couch for a week,” Aomine explained before he spun around and grabbed his hoodie from off the court. 

“Bye Kagami! Gonna try to not be a new murder case!” 

“Bye!” Kagami called back. Honestly that was the best way to go, right? Just split up and act… cool.

Kagami watched Aomine as he blindly waved back behind him and walked past the old chain link fencing. 

Kagami finally got the cap off his water bottle and he slipped his own phone out of his pocket to check the time.

It was 20 minutes past his break. 

“Fuck!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

_“Y-Yamazaki-kun, ah, slow dooownn hh, uhn, hah.”_

_Sousuke smirked and tightened his grip in those soft olive brown locks, before diving back down at the other boy’s neck mouthing and suckling along his ever rushing pulse._

_“You scared, Tachibana?” he hummed into the flesh before him, dragging his top teeth down across them once he finished speaking._

_“N-No, I--ahhn, ju-just, what if the class comes b-back, Yamazaki-kun?” Makoto asked, his hands trembled as he wrapped them around Sousuke’s shoulders._

_Sousuke leaned back, taking a moment to appreciate the view before him._

_Makoto was propped up on his own desk, legs spread wide so Sousuke could fit between them. His blue blazer was shoved down past his shoulders and his pristine light blue button down was half undone revealing that perfect chest that was simply_ sculpted _and his tie sat loosely around the base of his neck, framing the boy’s defined collar bone._

_His face was red all over, his eyes were only half open and tears pricked at the edges. Makoto’s lips were parted and he was panting, the heavy breaths caused the loose cloth on his chest to fan in and out. Makoto’s lips glistened and the warm color on his cheeks was so inviting._

_“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Sousuke growled as he moved his hands from Makoto’s now messy brown locks, dragging them across the hot, exposed skin of his chest and down further to stop at his hips._

_“D-Don’t say things l-like t-th--ahhh-t,” Makoto groaned when Sousuke bent over to kiss at the base of his neck, right above the loosened knot of his tie. Sousuke moved to suck just below Makoto’s collarbone. The hands he had gripping the brunette’s hips tightened. He pulled Makoto forward across the desk._

_“Hnnghhn-nnn-Yamazzaki-k-kun,” Makoto mewled as their hips rubbed together._

_Sousuke hummed lowly into Makoto’s burning skin, the grip around his shoulders tightened._

_“Call me Sousuke…”_

_“Hahh, S-Sousuke…” Makoto moaned as Sousuke nibbled up his neck, working his way back to the other boy’s mouth._

_“Sousuke--!” Makoto was cut off as Sousuke sucked on his bottom lip._

_“Sousuke!!”_

“DUMBASS!! HELLO?” 

Something slapped Sousuke in the face. Something very paper-cover-book-like. 

“GAH!” Sousuke gasped, it was kind of a delayed reaction but better late than never! 

Sousuke’s chin slipped off from where it’d been resting on his palm and he jerked to the side to glared at his assailant. Said assailant who'd awoken him from a pretty fucking great daydream thank you very much. 

Who was also a moron. 

Who was holding a rolled up sports magazine. 

Who thought he looked good with red eyeliner. 

Who was Rin. 

Sousuke growled at him, but before he could properly start cussing out his bestie Rin started talking. 

“C’mon idiot,” he huffed, adjusting the messenger bag on his shoulder, “School’s kinda _over_.” 

Sousuke blinked, looked around the room to see his fellow classmates packing up and gettin’ the fuck out and quickly hopped out of his seat to do the same. 

And _lucky for him_ Rin decided to talk as Sousuke got his shit together. 

“You make creepy faces when you sleep dude,” Rin said, “You were like, making little sounds? Or it looked like you were. You’re lucky the teacher didn’t catch you. Were you dreaming about something?” 

“No, and shut up I don’t make weird faces,” Sousuke said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. 

“Ah, you’re right, it’s just your face to begin with,” Rin said, nodding in agreement. 

“Excuse you, I’m hot,” Sousuke huffed as they walked towards the hallways. 

“Hah! Please, you look old all the time,” Rin punched him in the shoulder. 

“That’s called _maturity_ ,” Sousuke said, turning to his friend and waggling his eyebrows, “Some people find that _very sexy_ \--” 

“Yamazaki-kun!” 

The air in Sousuke’s throat got cut off with a strangled sound as he saw the image of Tachibana smiling and waving to him from down the hall. 

“Heyyy, Tachibana!” Rin waved back with his signature shark-toothed grin. The redhead also side-eyed Sousuke, trying to convey _‘wave back you idiot’_ through his clenched teeth. 

Sousuke blinked at his friend before finally raising his hand in a half ass-ed little motion. If he’d been going for a high five he would’ve failed miserably. A negative five. Maybe even seven below. 

Tachibana walked over towards them, it looked like the red sea parting as the people all bustling around the hallway magically decided to not walk in front of him. Warm afternoon light shined through the windows to Sousuke’s left. 

Tachibana’s uniform was as pristine as ever and his entire being was just open and warm and innocent. 

And less than seven minutes ago Rin had interrupted him having a dream about dry humping this angel on a desk. 

Okay Sousuke was officially a horrible person who deserved to get swallowed up into a hole and never be seen again. 

Rin still had Gou so he’d be fine. He’d cry but that was just because Rin’s eyes did that.

And Kagami would cry in relief about his drop in grocery bills. 

Seriously, shouldn’t everyone have the option of getting eaten up by their own personal little worm hole? 

And in that moment of self-hate, Tachibana had made his way over towards the pair of them. 

“Hi, Matsuoka-kun, Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana said. 

“Hey, you need something?” Rin asked. 

“Uhm,” Tachibana looked awkwardly looked away, and adjusted the straps of his book bag, “I need to talk to Yamazaki-kun.”

“ _Oh?_ ” Rin asked, and he sounded to smug and Sousuke wanted to punch him. 

Tachibana looked back up at them, and he quickly stammered out, “Or, uh, not _need_ , I'd just like to--or-no, there was just something I want to address? If that isn't a problem?”

Both Tachibana and Rin turned to look at Sousuke. 

And he suddenly realized that he was supposed to _talk._

Well _that_ was a problem. 

Tachibana looked really expectant, and because Rin was an asshole all he did was smile and say, “Do you two need to be alone?” 

“N-No, Matsuoka-kun, I was just wondering if we could work on our project tomorrow?” Tachibana stuttered. And god, why did he have to stutter? It only made his earlier thoughts seem all too--accurate and _oh shit_ he was supposed to be answering a question wasn't he? 

“Uh, tomorrow?” Sousuke grunted, “Saturday?” 

“Yes, Sousuke, tomorrow is in fact Saturday, good job!” Rin chimed in because he had to do that with _everything._

“Shut up,” Sousuke snapped. Then he instantly backtracked at the way Tachibana’s eyes widened, “SHIT, not you--this moron,” he tried to explain, thumbing over at the moron.

Tachibana took a hesitant step back, as if he was about to make a break for it. And damn, was he really _that_ intimidating? “Heh, it's alright Yamazaki-kun, I'm sure you're busy anyway and I wouldn't want to impose on you and Kagami-san again--”

“No, no, you can come over. Man.” --HOLY FUCK that sounded awkward-- “Saturday right? I can come by your building and pick you up?” 

Suddenly Tachibana looked much less hesitant. He smiled again and hot damn it was _Sousuke_ who made him do that. That was nice.

“Thanks Yamazaki-kun!” Tachibana grinned, “I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, sorry but I've gotta go beat a friend to the fountain a few blocks North!” 

And with that dream boy spun around and waved over his shoulder as he vanished into the still crowded hallway. 

“Well that's a weird way to end a conversation,” Rin deadpanned.

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke came home to an empty apartment. Kagami was supposed to be getting off work right about now. So he wouldn’t be home till… 4:30-ish. 

So Sousuke had 20 minutes of peace! 

He kicked off his shoes in the entryway, before back tracking and placing them neatly on the shoe rack. 

Sousuke smiled to himself when he flipped on the lights to the living room he slipped out of both his bookbag and his blazer. He hung up the blazer and dropped the bag by the shoe rack. 

Sousuke ran a hand through his hair and mindlessly fiddled with one of his smaller piercings as he flopped down across the entirety to the sofa, crossing his legs at the ankle over the armrest. 

Sousuke tiled his head up to see that the remote to the amazingly giant tv Kagami owned was sitting at the _wrong_ corner of the wooden coffee table. As in, _not_ within reach. 

Sousuke huffed as he pulled out his phone. He was about to mindlessly click around funny shit on pinterest when an idea popped into his head and he clicked the dial screen instead. 

He was hungry as _shit_. And did not feel like cooking, or even reheating something for that matter. So instead he scrolled through his contacts and _a-hah! Pizza!_

Because at this moment in time Sousuke wanted to be a lazy ass, emo teen. 

Sue him. 

As Sousuke held the phone to his ear and listened to the dial tone he idly thought to himself how many he should order. 

One large would work, after all, it was just him and Kaga--

Better make it four. 

****

###  **➺➺**

When the apartment door _banged_ open, Sousuke was still lying across the couch. Only now he had a paper plate--because fuck doing the dishes-- with three slices of pepperoni pizza sitting on it and one in his hand. With a cola just within reach on the coffee table and _Catfish_ playing on tv. Because it was fun to watch shitty people get called out on being shitty. 

“I am fucking _starving_ ,” Kagami exclaimed as he walked into the living room. 

His red eyes were bleary-ish, and the only thing he seemed to focus on was the plate on Sousuke’s belly. 

“Pizzas are warming in the top oven,” Sousuke said. 

Kagami was racing towards the kitchens like a madman, shouting _“THANK YOU!”_ as he went. 

Sousuke blinked, simply watching as Kagami grabbed his own plate and an oven mit. 

Once Kagami was done and went to sit in the arm chair beside the sofa with about eight slices of cheesy goodness towering on his plate, Sousuke opened his mouth. 

“What’s up with you?” 

Kagami shoved half a piece of pizza into his mouth before answering, “Missed lunch, and _damn_ , are you psychic or something? ‘Cause this is exactly what I needed. I would’ve passed out before I ever finished cooking anything.” 

Sousuke sat up slowly, assessing what he’d just heard Kagami say before responding with: 

“ _What?_ ” 

Kagami blinked at him, looking weirdly like a chipmunk with his cheeks stuffed with food. 

“Was there a _fire_ or something??” Sousuke continued, “Jesus, did you guys lose power? No wait, then you would’ve been home sooner. Or like, was there a catering event you didn’t know about?” 

“What are you going on about?” Kagami mumbled around the food in his mouth. 

“I’m going on about the fact that it must’ve been something _apocalyptic_ for _you_ to miss _lunch!_ ” Sousuke said. Because was it _obvious?_ This was Kagami! The man who ate like a house on fire and then ran back into said burning house to check to see if there was anything left in the freezer. 

“Uhhh… no,” Kagami shrugged, “Just lost track of time on my break.” 

“What distracted you from _food?_ ” Sousuke asked. 

“I had a game,” Kagami said, before turning towards the tv. Nev and Max were trying to find a dude was _supposed to be_ living in some city but it turned out his number left the guy living somewhere in the middle a fuckin’ nowhere mid-west. Wherever Nevada was. Or--whatever Nevada was. Sousuke didn’t know American geography!

“Game?” because just saying that didn’t answer Sousuke’s unasked questions about Kagami’s current mental health. 

“Yeah,” Kagami said absently, “Aomine stopped by work today and wanted to go for a round or two before his shift started.” 

“WHAT?!?” 

“Oh shut up, basketball you hormonal moron.” 

“I’m still confused!” Sousuke said, because he _was_ , “You missed eating to hangout with your dickwad ex boyfriend?” 

“I promised him a game,” Kagami said, eyes still glued to the tv. 

“When?” 

“When he came over for dinner.” 

Still didn’t make sense, “But why are you accommodating to that asshole?” 

“Because I can tell that he’s trying,” Kagami said, “Plus we have a _lot_ of mutual friends.” 

“So you’re putting up with this shit so that it won’t be awkward to see him at a barbeque?” Sousuke asked. 

Kagami swayed his head a little, seeming to assess the thoughts in his head for a minute, “No, but when I say mutual friends, these are people I’ve known for over a decade, and for the most part Aomine’s known them much longer. If we’re civil, _hell_ if we’re _friends_ again then that makes everyone’s lives easier. And if that doesn’t work, then fuck it! But I don’t usually just give up on things.” 

Sousuke stewed quietly for a moment. He took a few bites of pizza as Kagami polished off about two slices.

“So you’re forgiving him? For _leaving?_ “ 

“No, Sousuke, shit, I’m just--we already had our screaming fest, okay?” Kagami huffed, “I might be a loud guy but that doesn’t mean I _like_ fighting with people. I’d rather setting things with--I don’t fucking know--a game? Or just talk it out, not scream. It’s about as fun for me as it is for you or anyone else.” 

Sousuke let out a small sigh, but quieted down after that. Because, well, he was right. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

It was _two_ in the _ever fucking morning_ when Kagami bolted up in the middle of his bed. 

“Uhhhhhhghhh,” he groaned out into the dark room. He rubbed a hand over his face and further messed up his bedhead when he clicked his _way too fucking bright_ phone off and laid it back on the nightstand again. 

Kagami slowly shifted back down into his bed, reaching blindly down for his comforter. Which wasn’t _on_ him and being all snuggly like it was supposed to be, dammit. Why had he even woken up in the first place? He didn’t know. But sleeping was his best option right now. It was what he should do until it was _at least_ six or something. Leave the getting up in the middle of the night to Sousuke. Seriously, _did the child sleep….?_ Annnnnd he was yawning it was now being not awake time. 

Suddenly there was some really loud banging from across the apartment. And someone yelling; 

_“TAIIIIIIIIIGAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”_

More banging. 

_“LEMME IN ASS--HOLE!”_

Ah, so _that’s_ why he woke up. 

_“KAAG--hic--GAAAMIIII TAAAAAIGGAA!”_

There was some more banging. And it _could’ve_ just _maybe_ might’ve been knocking but to Kagami’s only 11% awake brain it could’ve been a griffin trying to dig through the ceiling for all he knew. 

And then, a few seconds after that something else happened, all the while there was a leprechaun breaking into his microwave with a candle stick. No wait!! It was Miss Scarlet in the parlor with the led pipe! Or something. 

“Kagami!” Sousuke bellowed in that weirdly low voice for a 16 year old boy as he swung open Kagami’s bedroom door, “ _Make him shut up,_ ” the kid growled, trying to look intimidating in only what looked to be purple boxer briefs and hunching in the doorway. 

“What…?” Kagami asked, rubbing at his eyes again. It was still fucking dark though. 

Sousuke fixed that little problem in four seconds when he held up his phone and shined the flashlight _right in Kagami’s goddamn eyes._

“Shut him _up_ ,” Sousuke hissed. 

“Ahh! Shit!! Turn that off!” Kagami complained, meanwhile there was someone yelling “ _TAAAAAIII! GET THE DAMN DOOR, BRUH!_ ” in a kinda muffled way. 

“Turn _him_ off!” Sousuke snapped, he only stretched out his arm and waved the bright little white light in Kagami’s face. 

“Shit, shit, fine I’m _getting up_.” 

Sousuke nodded curtly and flicked off his phone light, “Thank you,” he said, instead of annoyed now he just sounded drowsy. 

Kagami gingerly climbed out of bed, silently cursing the banging somewhere in the apartment. It was probably at his front door. Most likely, anyway. 

“Wait so why am I getting up?” Kagami asked, then he yawned. 

“To get the guy at the door to _fuck off!_ ” Sousuke explained. 

“Ah, gotcha,” Kagami said, nodding dumbly as he walked past Sousuke and into the hallway. 

The floorboards creaked under him just a smidgen and there was still yelling. 

_“I’m coooooollllddd TAIGAAA~! YOU DEAF OR SOM--HIC--SUMTHIN?”_

Kagami was in the living room and to be honest the banging was pretty unbearable. His now 44% awake brain remembered that Sousuke’s room was kinda right beside the entryway to that had to be kinda suck for him. Speaking of Sousuke the kid was walking behind him, radiating P.O.-ed-ness like a champ. 

Kagami finally made it to the door, where the banging echoed from the other side of the door and around the narrow entry way and hopping Kagami up to a _whopping_ 57% awake-ed-ness. 

Kagami grabbed the doorknob, threw the latch above it and a swung opened the door. 

“Finallyyyy,” came the deep drawl from the person standing only two feet away on the other side of the threshold. 

Kagami had reached 80% awake. 

The other 20% was still hung up on the fact that _Aomine_ was at his door. 

The man, or asshole, or what have you, was standing in front of him, no longer wearing the sweats and hoodie from before. Now he was in what was left of business-casual work attire. He had a jacket but it was shoved over his shoulders sloppily, he was in black slacks and a nice gray button down and Kagami’s a little bit rattled by the events at hand brain still noticed the part of a gray and purple striped tie poking out of his front shirt pocket. 

It was dark but with the dim light he had Kagami could see that Aomine’s hair was a mess, he had a half aware grin on his face and he didn’t need light to register that the man smelled like a rat drowned in beer. 

“What the fuck is he doing here?!?” Sousuke groused from somewhere behind him. But Kagami ignored him, he had more important questions to ask. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?!?” Kagami spat out at the obviously drunk moron who’d just _showed up at his door in the middle of the ever lovin’ night._

“Daww, don’t be like that Tai, just let me in,” Aomine smirked crookedly, resting his forearm on the door jam. 

“Why are you shit faced at my door, Aomine?” Kagami growled. 

“That bottle a wine was a fuckin’ _gggrreeaattt_ idea y-heh-know?” Aomine slurred out, “Wakamatsu _didn’t_ really cut off my balls, I owe you man. He’s still a damn _bastard though_. He said he wouldn’t welcome me back be--fe--before I out drank him y’know?” Aomine groaned and smashed his forehead into his already raised arm, “I beat ‘im, but like… fuuuck I think Ryo passed out before we got to the third barr.” 

Okay. So Aomine was drunk because he worked with fucking idiots. Oh, what reliable law enforcement they had. 

That didn’t answer why he was at _Kagami’s apartment._

“Why are you here, Aomine?” Kagami asked. He was surprised at his own patience, or maybe it was just sleep deprivation. 

“Satsuki is like--sooooo bitchy at night man, _man_. You--hehehehhh--you remember when she had to crash at our old place for a weekend? An--Ohhh she like--” Aomine lifted up his head, and waved up his previously unused arm, “-- _screamed_ when you dropped the pan an like she’s got those irons and my hair isn’t long enough and I don’t wanna lose an ear again dude.” 

What. 

All Kagami could do was blink down at the mess slumped in his doorway. 

“I think he’s saying the Satsuki lady’ll kill him if he goes there, possibly with a flat iron,” Sousuke piped up from behind him. 

“ _Ohhhh_ ,” Kagami said, nodding his head slowly, “Thanks Sou.” 

“No problem. Now Kagami could you move over to the right a little? I can’t really get a good angle.” 

Kagami stepped to the right and turned his head over his shoulder. And low and behold Sousuke was standing a few feet away with his face hidden behind his phone and the bright light shining directing at Aomine. 

“Oh hey it’s the anti-Tetsu~” 

And it was just as the _‘su’_ left his mouth that Aomine’s eyes drifted shut and he flopped down onto the dark green carpeted floor of the hallway with an obnoxious snore. 

****

###  **➺➺**

15 minutes later Aomine was lying on his stomach on Kagami’s couch, one arm hooked over the back and one leg sliding off. 

The fucker was _out._

_The lightweight._

Sousuke stood beside him, he’d finally stopped filming in favor of asking who _‘Tetsu’_ was. 

“So would you get mad if I took his wallet and hid it somewhere in the apartment?” Sousuke asked. 

Kagami blinked down at their unwelcome house guest. 

“Actually, no.” Kagami said flatly before he turned away from the sofa and started to walk back to his bedroom. 

He needed some damn _sleep._

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

It was nine o’clock on a Saturday and Sousuke was holding his phone under his chin as he walked out of his room with his bluetooth speaker in hand. He was turning it around in his hands, looking for the little rectangular on switch. 

Sousuke smiled to himself as he found the switch right as he entered the living room. The light was bright and cool with the shades drawn up and everything was all nice and in it’s place. 

_Except_ for the bum sprawled out across the sofa. 

Aomine hadn’t woken up at _all_ since he’d decided to just _drop by_ last night. The asshole was still in the same position they’d left him, a damn mess that was about to fall off the couch. He even had his shoes still on, seeing as how Kagami and Sousuke hadn’t bothered with them. 

Kagami was back in his room, doing fuck knows what before he started on breakfast. 

And Sousuke was here, standing right beside Aomine on the sofa with his speaker in hand. 

Sousuke took his phone out from under his chin and looked at the screen, it and the speaker had already connected. Perfect! 

Sousuke tapped through his phone with one hand as he fiddled with the volume button on the speak with his other. 

Once everything was set up, Sousuke scroll a few seconds into one of his favorite songs--he had to get to the _good part_ after all--and pressed play. 

_“I SAID I’D BURY YOU!!! AND COVER THE TRAAACKSSS!!! YOU’LL HAVE TO TAKE THIS WITH YOUR COLD DEAD HANDDSS!!!!”_

Soon, beautifully raspy screams and heart pumping guitar blared through Sousuke’s _surprisingly_ powerful little speaker and _riiight_ into Aomine’s ear where he was holding the device. 

_“I SAID I’D BURY YOUUU!!!_ I SAID YOU’D NEVER DIIIIIEEEE!!!!!!!!” 

Aomine’s eyes _flew_ open and his entire face contorted in pain. 

“What the _fuck_ is that??!?” he hissed, his hands quickly getting shoved over his ears. 

_“THIS. IS. SEMPITERNAL!!!!!!!!”_

“KARMA!!” Sousuke shouted over the music. He was starting to hear that tiny high pitched ringing in his ears, that was his _favorite_. 

“You fuck!!” Aomine growled at him, turning his head into the sofa cushions. _Hah_ , as if that’d help him escape. 

Sousuke bent down, leaning closer and asking, “WHAAAT??” 

_“SECRETS DON’T SLEEP TIL’ THEY’RE TOOK TO THE GRRAAAAAAAAVE!!!!!!”_

Sousuke smiled down at the shit head on the sofa. The guy must’ve had one really bad hangover. Like, _sooooo_ fuckin’ bad. 

“Sousuke!!!” another voice shouted from down the hall. 

Sousuke froze, turned his head to see Kagami standing in the hallway to the bedrooms and quickly paused the song with a tap of his thumb. 

“Come help me make breakfast,” Kagami said as he walked by the sofa without another glance. 

“Oh, okay,” Sousuke said with a touch of surprise as he set his speaker down on the coffee table. 

Aomine just let out a sad little groan. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

It was past 10 am and Kagami was just confused. 

He was sitting at the bar counter in his kitchen. He had a cup of coffee in hand and his tablet in the other as he scrolled through shit on Netflix. He wasn’t working until later that evening so all he had to do was get dinner prepped for Sousuke to make on his own… and figure out what the fuck to do with the man still unconscious on his sofa. 

Aomine had been awake for a few minutes after Sousuke’s little wake up call but he wouldn’t eat any food and crawled his way over to the fridge for a water bottle. 

And once again, Aomine was on the sofa, with a throw pillow over his head to save him from the outer elements. 

He’d taken his shoes off but only left them by the sofa, his jacket was draped over a chair but other than that he was unchanged. One look at him earlier had shown that the guy’s eyes were bloodshot and his head looked like someone must’ve been playing a rugby match in between his ears. 

And it had been an hour since he’d woken up and he hadn’t said a word other than yelling at Sousuke. 

It was really pathetic and Kagami didn’t know what to do. 

“Kagami,” Aomine suddenly spoke up. His voice sounded like sandpaper. 

“I’m sorry, dude,” Aomine continued, “I really shouldn’t be asking for--ahemn--ah shit, I shouldn’t be asking for shit right now but could I use your shower?” 

“Yeah,” Kagami grunted, “You’re gonna make my sofa smell like something died there if you don’t. Grab your own towel though,” he added, hah, as if that made him less of a pushover. 

“Thanks, Kagami,” Aomine muttered and Kagami heard clothing rustle against leather sofa as Aomine stood up and walked away. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke walked into the bathroom because he might’ve kinda been picking up around the apartment a _little bit_ because Makoto was gonna be there in a little bit and he still had to tell Kagami that. Not that Kagami would mind, he loved Makoto, but it was the principle of the matter and principles could be distracted by _‘Hey look! I cleaned the apartment!’_

But when he opened the bathroom door what he saw was not what his brain had expected to see and he just kinda stopped for a second. 

Aomine was in the bathroom, wearing a pair of what was _hopefully_ Kagami’s and not _his_ sweatpants, with a towel around his neck and he was shaving off the final bit of shaving cream from off his jaw. 

Okay so there was kinda a not so tiny part of Sousuke that had been hoping Aomine was about as skinny as a beanpole and that he’d have the _worst_ farmer’s tan ever witnessed by the human eye. 

Neither of those little hopes turned out to be true. 

Aomine was kinda… ripped and only sorta tanned all over. 

But mainly Sousuke was just trying to identify the sweatpants the guy was wearing as _not Sousuke’s_

“You know how to knock, fuckwad?” Aomine asked as he tapped the razor on the edge of the sink. 

“Where’d you get those pants?” Sousuke asked, he looked at Aomine’s face through the mirror and glared. 

“The basket,” Aomine said with a nodd towards the hamper in the corner of the room between the sink and the wall. 

“Those closes are dirty, idiot,” Sousuke gruffed. Honestly, if the sweats were his, Sousuke could just bleach them, no biggie. 

“Huh,” was all Aomine said, his voice still sounded gruff and the glare on the guy’s face was probably just a headache, or just Sousuke being there. 

Either way, Sousuke quickly shut the door louder than he really needed to. 

_“Shiit!”_ was the muffled cry through the door. 

Sousuke smiled. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami was on his sofa, with an early afternoon cooking show playing as mostly background noise. The food network was always there for him, which was nice. Kagami was resting his elbow on the left armrest of the sofa, followed by his chin on his palm. He’d been sitting there doing a lot of nothing. 

He wasn’t even dressed for the day yet. He was just in a black tank top and dark green sweat pants. 

He’d noticed Sousuke wandering around the apartment earlier, in a red tee shirt with some obscure band name inked out across the from of the shirt to look like it’s been scratched there. And skinny jeans. But no braceletes this time around, or that many earrings. Which was refreshing. 

Kagami felt the sofa dip the smallest bit, and he turned his head slightly to see Aomine sitting on the very opposite end of the sofa, eyes glued to the tv. 

Aomine was dressed in a worn out, light blue tee shirt and some light gray sweatpants. 

“That’s my shirt,” Kagami said slowly. 

Aomine only shrugged, he took his left hand and massaged at the back of his own neck. 

“It’s dirty so it doesn’t count,” Aomine said.

“Your logic is stupid,” Kagami commented. 

“You still understand it,” Kagami huffed at that. Seriously, it was little moments like this that had Kagami being as tolerant as he was. Just the thought of him and Aomine being friends again, hanging out with anything being so _complicated_ was just--so appealing. And the easiest solution. 

Aomine and Kagami sat in a weird, almost comfortable silence. 

Maybe Aomine’s hungover crabbiness was contagious. And now Kagami was forever doomed to do nothing but be an asshole for the next 18 hours. 

It was almost a full three minutes into that weird-ass silence when there was a knock at the door. 

Kagami frowned and turned to rest his arm over the back of the sofa and get a clear view of the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aomine turn as well. 

The knocking came again. It wasn’t loud and obnoxious and made to wake up the whole building, just a normal, _civilized_ knock. 

Kagami shifted to stand up and answer the door but it seemed like he didn’t need to. 

In about eight seconds flat Sousuke was out of his bedroom and _running_ towards the front door. His long legs stretched out as he booked it towards the entry way. 

“I’LL GET IT!” Sousuke called once he reached the door. 

“Were you expecting someone?” Kagami asked. 

“UHM, no not really I just kinda invited Tachibana over because we still need to work on our history project!” Sousuke barked. Then he swung open the door before Kagami could question further. 

And from what Kagami could see around Sousuke’s wide shouldered frame was that it was _indeed_ Makoto at the door. He was in a puffy green winter jacket, but _damn_ , that boy’s smile could warm any space. 

“Hi, Yamazaki-kun!” Makoto said, “I hope I didn’t come by too early, it’s just that I need to get home later this afternoon and I wanted to have enough time to work.” 

“Uh--yeah,” Sousuke said and _oophh_ , he was bad at this, “I mean--no, you’re not early. C-come in.” 

Tachibana smiled again as Sousuke stepped to the side to let him in. 

Suddenly Kagami felt someone poke him in the shoulder. He looked over to see Aomine staring at him. 

Then the bluenette mouthed out _‘boyfriend?’_ with a tilt of his head. 

Kagami shook his head, _‘crush’_ he mouthed back. 

Aomine winced, and Kagami nodded in solemn agreement. 

“Hey, Makoto,” Kagami said as he moved to hop off the sofa. Aomine stayed where he was, staring at the pair of teenagers like they were some zoo exhibit. 

“Hi, Kagami-san,” Makoto said, his eyes crinkling shut as he smiled. The brunette slipped off his jacket to reveal the brown hoodie he had on under it.

Meanwhile behind him in the entryway Sousuke was staring at the other boy like a creep. 

Kagami walked around the couch and leaned against the back of it. 

“So what are you boys up to?” Kagami asked. 

Makoto opened his mouth, but it was Sousuke who spoke. 

“I just told you,” he huffed, “We’re gonna study.” 

“Pfft!” Aomine snorted, “Yeah, _biology_ ,” the idiot bluenette said, smirking up at Sousuke from across the sofa. 

“Would you shut the fuck up!” Sousuke groused. 

“Actually, we’re working on history,” Makoto chimed in, “And I was hoping Yamazaki-kun would help me by going over the math quiz we just took,” Makoto paused and glanced away for a minute, “That is… if you don’t mind of course, Yamazaki-kun.” 

“Wait, what?” Aomine asked. 

“I’m sorry but we haven’t been introduced yet,” Makoto said, holding his hand out to Aomine, “I’m Tachibana Makoto, Yamazaki-kun’s classmate, and you are?” 

“Ao--” 

“An idiot,” Sousuke cut in, “C’mon we need to get to work,” Sousuke said as he grabbed Makoto by the shoulder and started marching him out of the living room. 

“Y-Yamazaki-kun,” Makoto stuttered as he was dragged along, “You need to be more respectful to your elders!” 

“Not if they’re as smart as rock,” Sousuke growled, shooting a glare over his shoulder at both Aomine and Kagami before shoving Makoto through the doorway to his bedroom. 

As soon as the door clicked shut, there was giggling. 

Or, not giggling, But small creepy laughter all the same. 

“Hahahaa, oh _mann_ ,” Aomine turned so that he was sitting properly on the sofa, “That was _rich_. And I can believe you’ve put up with two teenagers making out in your apartment. The brunette knows you, so is this like a regular thing?” 

Kagami sighed before he pushed himself up to sit on the back of the couch. 

“ _Alas_ , they were telling the truth,” Kagami said with mock sadness, “There will be no gross teenage frotting, _only an A+ history report!_ ” he said as he spun his legs around to slide back down onto the sofa. 

“Pa- _lease_ ,” Aomine huffed, “I don’t believe that for a _second_. The moment that door closed, Yamazaki jumped that poor boy.” 

Kagami laughed, “Mannn, teenagers are sooo stupid.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke was sitting on the edge of his bed, history notes sitting in his lap and his laptop off to the side. 

And no, he was _not_ working on his project. In the _slightest_. 

Tachibana was seated at Sousuke’s desk in front of his own laptop. The familiar view of the other boy’s back was shown to him. 

Even with that thick brown hoodie on hints Tachibana’s sculpted back could still be seen. This shoulders were so broad and waist impossibly slender. People who looked like Tachibana didn’t get to have a nice personality too. If they got bright smiles and butterflies floating around them all the time it was a death trap for innocent people like Sousuke. Forever doomed to stare creepily from behind. 

That’s what Sousuke was, doomed. He was doomed to sit on the edge of his bed with his five star history notebook on his lap and imagine what might happen if he let that notebook fall to the floor as he stood up and walked over to Tachibana. Condemned for life to wonder what the other boy’s reaction would be if Sousuke leaned over him and slipped his arms around his waist. Bound to his flighting thoughts about if Tachibana would giggle when Sousuke nuzzled his nose into his neck. 

Holy fuck. He was a pathetic mess. 

A _sappy_ pathetic mess. 

Just in that moment of realization, Tachibana spun the seat around, with those big, dark framed glasses sitting on his nose, making his summery green eyes sparkle more than _usual._

Obviously, he noticed that Sousuke was already staring at him. 

“Do you need something Yamazaki-kun?” he asked. 

Heh, shit. What was he supposed to say to the guy? ‘ _Yeah, a date’d be great, thanks!’_

God no! 

“Uhh, I was gonna grab a soda,” Sousuke said. Thank _god_ he’d been able to pull that out of his ass, “You want anything?” 

Sousuke quickly tossed his notebook to the side for his to land on the bed and bounce a little. 

“Oh, sure,” Tachibana said, “Just a water though, thank you.” 

“You don’t have to be so polite you know,” Sousuke grumbled as he walked towards the door. 

“But Yamazaki-kun--” 

Sousuke shot him a flat look. 

“It’s just me dude, loosen up,” he should really listen to a bit of his own advice, huh? 

“I mean,” Sousuke continued, “You’re not this formal around your friends right?” 

Tachibana shook his head. 

“See?” Sousuke said, and he was already out the door before Tachibana could respond. 

Sousuke quickly clicked the door behind him and let out a ragged little breath. 

“Shit, you’re whipped,” a very unwelcomed deep voice commented from the living room. 

Sousuke glared at Aomine. Who was _still in the apartment_. Or more specifically, lying out across the entire sofa, a smug look on his face and cola in his hand. 

A cola. _That fucker_. 

“Shut up,” Sousuke said as he walked behind the sofa towards the kitchen. 

“So you two are already taking a break?” Aomine asked, raising one little blue eyebrow when Sousuke glanced hack to glare at him. 

“You should work out more,” Aomine commented, “Builds up stamina.” 

“Let me try again,” Sousuke said as he swung open the fridge, “ _Fuck off._ ” 

“I’m offering golden advice for you and your little boyfriend!” Aomine whined. 

Sousuke growled in the general direction of the egg carton before grabbing his cola and slamming the fridge door shut. 

“So moody,” Aomine said. Sousuke heard him take an obnoxious sip from his drink. 

“Where is Kagami?” Sousuke asked, “Why isn’t he here getting rid of you?” 

“Work called, he’s in the other room,” Aomine said offhandedly. Sousuke tried his best to ignore him as he grabbed a water glass for Tachibana, “But back to the fun stuff, you two sound proof the door or somethin’? ‘Cause I haven’t heard a _thing_ , and there’s no way a moron like you is that quiet. No one’s that quiet. It would be creep--”

“There’s nothing to _hear!_ ” Sousuke snapped. He snarled at Aomine from across the room and the guy actually shut up for a second. 

“Wait you told Kagami the _truth?_ ” Aomine asked, his usually thin eyes wide, and his previously lazy position on the sofa tensed up a bit. 

“What are you talking about?” Sousuke asked as he took the water and his cola and set them on the bar counter, before leaning his elbows on it himself. 

“Kagami said the guy was just your crush, and that you were too chicken to do anything,” Aomine said, his nose crinkled in confusion, “I thought you guys were boning but you just didn’t want a lecture. I thought you were being smart, dude!” 

Sousuke gaped at him, “Tachibana and I are _just friends_. I don’t have a fucking crush on him.” 

Aomine snorted, “Ohh you’ve got a fucking crush alright, bud. And like, what the hell is wrong with you? Mr. Smiles has been giving you fuck me eyes _big time_.” 

Sousuke looked away, suddenly the way the light was hitting one drawer stainless steel handle was very fascinating right now. 

“His eyes are always like that.” 

“And? Just means he’s horny,” Aomine said with a shrug. 

“You shut the fuck up!” Sousuke said, again, before he snatched up his pair of drinks and speed walked out of the living room. 

“Stop being a moron!” Aomine called after him. 

“Hypocrite!” 

****

###  **➺➺**

So Sousuke discovered that Google Slides was one of Tachibana Makoto’s all time favorite things. Like ever, and he was really good at it. 

They were both on the floor again, Tachibana had Sousuke’s laptop balancing on his right knee between them. 

Sousuke had done a black and white powerpoint spelling out the information they needed. 

Tachibana was making it into something someone would actually _pay attention_ to. 

“You see and the transitions are right up here,” Tachibana said, clinking on a gray rectangle helpfully labeled _‘transitions’_ , “We should just go with something simple, like cube, you see, and here I can apply it to all our slides.” 

Sousuke nodded. And while Tachibana was staring at the screen Sousuke was a _little bit_ more focused on how the screen cast an orange light across the other boy’s entire face because of the theme he’d chosen. 

“Next we can animate things here and there, like these bullets,” Tachibana turned back to look at Sousuke. They were only two feet apart. Tachibana’s warm green eyes, framed by the large glasses were staring right at him. HIs lashes were long, and in the weird light Sousuke couldn’t really see the freckles he knew dusted across Tachibana’s nose. 

Tachibana blinked at him slowly, his already long lashes were magnified just a bit more by the lenses. 

“Any questions?” Tachibana asked. 

_Yeah_ , Sousuke thought to himself, _Are those really fuck me eyes?_

“Uh, no,” he said instead, turning back to the screen. 

“Great,” Tachibana said, “So after we finish up this part, I need to head home.” 

“Cool,” Sousuke said flatly. 

Translation: _not cool, don’t ever leave please._

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami hummed happily to himself as he chopped some green onions into relatively large chunks. 

It turned out he didn’t need to work today. Which was a happy surprise. It turned out they had enough people later tonight, but were understaffed for a catering event tomorrow. Apparently someone was having a last minute engagement party. 

Kagami was going to make soup for lunch because it was _cold_ out and soup was amazing when it was so fuckin’ cold you lost nerve endings in the tips of your ears. 

He was only halfway through chopping all his onions when Sousuke and Makoto walked into the living room. 

“I have to take Tachibana home,” Sousuke said as he headed for the entry hall without a second glance. 

“You aren’t gonna stay for lunch?” Kagami asked. 

Makoto, who was still in the living room shook his head, “I’d love to Kagami-san, but I need to be home before my mom has to leave for work.” 

“Ahh, gotcha,” Kagami said with a nod, “Well, it was lovely seeing you as always, Makoto.” 

The boy smiled, “Thank you Kagami-san! The pleasure’s all mine.” 

Kagami couldn’t help but beam at such an angel. 

“Bye boys!” Kagami called after the pair of them when he heard the door open. 

“Byee!” 

“Yeah.” 

And then the door clicked shut. 

“Wow, that’s creepy,” Aomine said from where he was flopped out on the sofa. 

“What is?” Kagami asked as he went back to prepping his soup. 

“Emo boy has the hots for your clone,” Aomine explained. 

Kagami snorted, “Makoto doesn’t look anything like me.” 

“Same smile,” Aomine said offhandedly, “So what are you making?” Aomine asked as he sat up on the sofa. 

“Miso soup,” Kagami answered. 

“Sweet.” 

Kagami turned away from the living room and went towards the fridge after he finished chopping. He needed to grab the tofu. 

And needless to say, when he closed the fridge door and saw Aomine standing _right there_ he was a little surprised. 

“Shit!” Kagami gasped.

“Y’know,” Aomine said as Kagami walked back to his work station, “Sometimes I don’t think Tetsu isn’t all that sneaky, you’re just unobservant.” 

“I’m not unobservant,” Kagami huffed as he used his knife to unpackage the tofu. 

“Oh yeah?” Aomine asked, and at that moment Kagami left someone tap his left shoulder. He turned left to look at Aomine and--

“You’re a child!” Kagami said as he spun to his right to see Aomine standing there, grinning like a moron. 

Aomine’s hand slipped onto his shoulder, the _right_ one, the grip was tentative at first, but got firmer as he jostled his frame a little. 

“Just like old times, huh?” Aomine asked as he cracked a smile. A fond smile, just a quirk at the corner of his mouth, crooked and cocky and dumb. 

Kagami couldn’t count the number of times he’d kiss that same smile off Daiki’s lips, trying to get it to disappear as fast as possible, even though he loved it. 

But this was Aomine. 

Kagami’s eyes shifted up to Aomine’s own. He looked hopeful. But also, there was a blankness sewn in his face. The ghost of an emotion Kagami had fought at full force when they were younger. He looked lonely. 

Dear fuck, he was a sap. 

A broken hearted sap who was staring into the half blank eyes of his ex boyfriend. 

Aomine was still smiling and for reasons completely beyond him, Kagami stood frozen as the bluenette dipped down closer. 

“Why are you here?” he asked. Aomine froze. 

Kagami turned away and shrugged off Aomine’s hand. He set down the knife he’d been using and placed it over in the sink just a foot or two away. 

Kagami rested his hands on the countertop, still not looking at Aomine. Because this wasn’t _right_. It wasn’t something that sat well in the pit of Kagami’s stomach and it was what made his brows furrow as he started down at the polished granite that rested under his palms. 

“What?” Aomine asked. 

“Why are _you_ here? Why not go to Momoi? Or Kuroko, or _Kise_ even? Even Takao would let you use the couch if you dropped by while Midorima was working the graveyard shift!” Kagami said. To his counter, not Aomine. 

“Kagami,” Aomine scoffed, “I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing last night,” Kagami saw him shrug out of the corner of his eye, “The only thing I knew what that at the time Imayoshi bringing out that Vodka was a fuckin’ _‘great’_ idea.” 

“No,” Kagami said slowly, he let out a small huff, “Why are you _still_ here?” Kagami suddenly looked up, Aomine looked confused. 

“Why didn’t you _run_ out the door when you woke up this morning?” Kagami asked. 

There was a hard line between Aomine’s eyebrows, “You didn’t seem to mind and I couldn’t go four feet without puking.” 

“So?!” Kagami snapped, “Now that’s over, now you’re just waltzing around saying shit about _‘old times’_.” 

“Well _fuck me_ for wanting to catch up,” Aomine said, raising his hands in mock surrender. 

“This isn’t catching up!” Kagami said as he stepped away from the counter, “You’re only here because you’re hoping for free food or some shit!” 

Aomine scowled, “Don’t fucking tell me why I’m here.” 

“Then _you_ tell me!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke had his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. He felt stupid wearing the beanie. Fuck whatever Rin said about it looking cool on him. 

Tachibana was walking right beside him, his lips quirked up in a smile as always. 

His puffy green jacket was well, adorable, and it took almost all of Sousuke’s self control to not stare at the way the brunette’s nose got red in the cold. Seriously. If the guy started to tell the story about now the other kids used to call him Rudolph in the second grade something inside Sousuke was going to snap and he’d do something stupid like kiss Tachibana at a street corner under an old fashioned lamppost. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami harshly ran a hand through his hair, “You can’t just _show up_ again Aomine! And you can’t just act like everything’s fucking _fine!_ ” 

“I’m not gonna crawl back here and grovel or some shit!” Aomine hissed, his hands tensed at his sides. 

“Then don’t come back at all!” Kagami growled, “I never _asked_ for you to be here! Just put up with your shit like ALWAYS!” 

“Like you don’t have your own shit Kagami,” Aomine’s entire frame was strung tight, “You can’t just move on can you?” 

“Not with YOU HERE!”

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“So Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana spoke up as they passed by a little crafts store, “Are you part of any clubs?” 

“Uh, no,” Sousuke said, focusing on the _lovely_ sidewalk. Oh look a crack!

“Really? Music, literature? Nothing?” Tachibana pressed. 

Sousuke shrugged, “Don’t see the point.” 

“What if there were new clubs?” 

“Depends on what it’s for,” Sousuke said, “Why do ya wanna know?” 

“I’ve been talking to a friend about starting something,” Tachibana explained, “And we’d need at least five members.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Why is it a fucking sin for me to want to work this out?!” 

“Because you don’t fucking _care!_ All you’ve ever wanted was an easy way out! EVERY. DAMN. TIME!” 

“If you put words in my mouth _one more time_ Kagami--!” 

“What? You’ll leave?!?” 

“KAGAMI--!” 

“You’re either gonna say something useful or you _are_ gonna fucking leave Aomine!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Uhm, Yamazaki-kun?” Tachibana called. 

Sousuke turned his head to the side as he walked, only to see that Tachibana and his puffed green jacket weren’t beside him. 

“Yamazaki-kun, we’re at my building,” he finished with a giggle. 

Sousuke spun around, and lo and behold Tachibana was standing a few feet behind him, thumbing over to the apartment building he was standing beside. 

“Shit, sorry,” Sousuke muttered as he walked back. Thank god he could blame the tint of his cheeks on the cold. Because it was _totally_ the cold. 

“It’s more than alright,” Tachibana said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, “Everyone forgets directions every now and again.” 

“Yeah…” Sousuke said quietly. 

“Everything alright, Yamazaki-kun?” Tachibana questioned. 

“‘M fine, have a nice afternoon,” Sousuke said, before he turned around to start walking back home. 

“Uhh… Yamazaki-kun?” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami didn’t know when but they moved from the kitchen to the living room. 

“YOU SHIT!! All you’ve ever done is suck everything you could outta me! You fucking up and leave then you come back and expect me to make you lunch!” 

“Well if it’s _out there_ I wouldn’t refuse, you idiot. Don’t patronize me just ‘cause you’re a fuckin’ push over,” Aomine growled. 

“Ohhh,” Kagami nodded slowly, “Big word there fucker, don’t hurt yourself.” 

“ALL you’ve ever done is bitch about nothin ya know?” 

“And all _you_ ever do is RUN AWAY!” Kagami snapped, “Every single fucking TIME! Poof!” 

“I left because--” Aomine cut himself off. But Kagami was _more than happy_ to pick up where he left off. 

“Because why? No, please, fucking tell me,” Kagami said. His jaw was clenched and he felt like part of his skin would tear at any moment. His entire body felt _locked up_. 

Aomine looked away, at some upper corner of the room and Kagami saw his tongue poking at his own cheek. 

“Because, ah, shit--” 

“I just realized you’re right. I _have_ been bitching about nothing,” Kagami said, a bitter little laugh crawled its way up his throat, “I’ve been sitting here, asking _why the fuck you’re here_ and--An--I shoulda been asking--” 

Kagami coughed. Shit. Why had he just let all this _slide?_

“WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE?” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“You really don’t have to do this,” Sousuke said as Tachibana led him back to his own apartment building. 

Tachibana looked over his shoulder and smiled. 

“I really don’t mind.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“I can’t tell you.” 

Kagami’s breath caught in his throat. 

_“What?”_

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Umm, Yamazaki-kun, it’s actually a left,” Tachibana giggled. 

Sousuke’s eyes widened as he suddenly stopped walking towards the cross walk.

“Shit.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“YOU CAN’T FUCKING TELL ME?” 

“Kagami, I--” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Don’t tell me!” Sousuke said quickly, holding up his hand towards Tachibana. The other boy laughed, _again_. 

Sousuke _thought_ this tire shop was familiar. 

“We keep going straight?” 

“Yes, Yamazaki-kun.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Do you have any FUCKING IDEA what went through my head when you left?!?” Kagami was _screaming._ If he bothered the neighbors, so what! If he couldn’t talk or a week after this, also fine! If he turned Aomine deaf, even better. 

“I thought you just had another depression dip at _first_ ,” Kagami explained as he stepped forward towards Aomine. 

The bastard took a step back. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

By this point Sousuke had made a fool out of himself about 900 times but Tachibana seemed to be in a constant state of giggles so he was torn between feeling humiliated and happy. 

Tachibana also seemed to get a kick out of grabbing Sousuke’s sleeve and leading him along like he was a toddler. 

“So… Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana said as they waited for a light, “Have you ever seen those little backpacks with leashes? Some are animal shaped, I saw a whale shark once--” 

“Shut up!” 

“Hahahaha! S-Sorry Yamazaki-kun.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Then I thought you cheated on me and didn’t have enough balls to just break up!”

By now he and Aomine were halfway to the entry hall. 

“When I found out you hadn’t even talked to _Momoi_ I thought you were running from the _fucking mob_ Aomine!! And now you say you CAN’T TELL ME!!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“It’s just a few more blocks, Yamazaki-kun, I swear,” Tachibana tried to reassure him. 

“How can I know you’re not just making me feel better?” Sousuke asked, raising his eyebrow. 

“Well,” Tachibana said slowly, “Do you feel better?” 

“Uhhh…” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“I was like that for _way_ too fucking long,” Kagami said as he stepped forward again, cornering Aomine in the entry way. 

“But then I remembered,” Kagami got quieter, because he was closer, he didn’t need to scream anymore. 

Aomine was staring right at him, his face a twister of emotions that Kagami didn’t even want to try to understand. 

“I remembered that you’re a fucking bastard Aomine, I remembered, that through thick and thin the only person you ever let in was yourself, the only person you’d ever hang onto was _you_. You cut yourself off so that the only person you could ever hurt you was _you_ and you’re the only person you’ll ever give two shits about.” 

Kagami sucked in a ragged little breath, “I don’t know how I managed to forget. The only reason we were ever together was because I carried your weight. But now, you can carry it out the fucking door, _again_.” 

Aomine didn’t say a word. Not a damn thing. 

For once Aomine Daiki didn’t talk shit back. 

He just picked up his shoes and left, no jacket, nothing. 

No words.

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke and Tachibana were just turning around the corner when he saw it. 

“That’s my apartment building!” Sousuke said proudly as he pointed up at the large structure just down the street. 

Tachibana laughed again, and suddenly Sousuke felt like it was too warm and sunny to be January. 

“Good job Yamazaki-kun,” Tachibana said and patted him on the shoulder. Sousuke shot him a little grin. 

Then he straightened, and slowed down his stride juuust a little. 

“Y’know, Tachibana,” he started, “You really don’t have to keep up the whole ‘kun’ thing all the time.” 

Tachibana cocked his head to the side. 

“Just call me Sousuke,” Sousuke pushed out, making sure to train his eyes to the path directly in front of him. 

“Oh…” Tachibana said softly, “Well, in that case,” Sousuke glanced to the side at that moment and dear fuck he almost dropped dead. 

“You can call me Makoto!” the brunette said, his eyes shut at the force of his bright smile, his nose red from the cold and even his cheeks seemed affected by the temperature. 

_HewassocuteholyshitwhatwasSousukesupposedtodo?_

“Uh, cool,” Sousuke said. He glanced ahead again, they had almost reached his building. There would have to be another awkward goodbye again. 

Tachibana was still beaming and Sousuke was still crumbling to pieces on the inside and everything was twistedly perfect at the moment so _of course_ that was when the main entrance to Sousuke's building burst open. 

Tachibana--no, _Makoto_ mwahaha-- and Sousuke both looked up at the doors to see none other than the great asshole himself Aomine. 

The guy looked like a mix between death and seeing death. The blunette quickly stormed away from the steps and turned to go in the opposite direction down the street. 

And he was _still_ in Kagami’s clothes! 

“Oi!” Sousuke called out after him, because what the hell?? 

“Aomine!!” he called again, the older man didn’t give him the time of day. 

Sousuke growled to himself as Aomine’s figure marched further and further down the street. 

He looked between Aomine’s back and a confused Makoto for a minute. 

“Uh,” he said to Makoto, hold up his hands but not having a clue what to do with them. He had to say goodbye… did he hug him? Did he wave? Fist bump? 

“Thanks bye!” Sousuke stuttered as he leaned in and pecked Makoto’s cheek before spinning on his heel and jogging after Aomine. 

“Oi!! Dickhead! That’s not your shirt!!” Sousuke yelled after him. 

Aomine didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge him. His back was stiff and his arms were crossed against his chest. Probably because he was fucking freezing in nothing but light sweats and a tee shirt. 

“Aomine!!” Sousuke called again. Still nothing. 

Sousuke stopped jogging. Something wasn’t right. When he and Makoto had left Aomine and Kagami had been all buddy buddy. And Kagami would never let anyone walk out in weather like this in nothing but a tee. 

With a hissed breath through his teeth Sousuke ran into the apartment building. He got through the old lobby and almost _jumped_ into the elevator. 

In that moment, five floors never seemed further away. 

The doors dragged shut and stupid music played in the little metal box. Sousuke impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for the screen to show his floor. 

When the doors opened again Sousuke ran again, this time to get to the door across from _nine E_ as fast as he could. 

Sousuke’s stupid combat boots drummed on the floor as he ran and when he got to the door it was unlocked. 

Sousuke slipped inside and kicked off his boots in record time. 

Sousuke speed walked out of the entry way but luckily he didn’t have to go looking for Kagami. 

He was right there, leaning against the back of the sofa. The redhead had one arm folded across his chest with his elbow resting on that hand and the other hand pinched the bridge of his nose. His shoulders were hunched and his head hung down. The bright wintery light from the two large windows in the living room shined out behind him. 

“Kagami…?” Sousuke said slowly. 

Kagami let out a slow sigh, his shoulders lowering more, but more from relaxation than--whatever he was feeling before. 

“What happened?” 

Kagami lowered his hand away from his face, and moved both arms to grip tightly at the sofa behind him. It was just past midday, but he looked tired. 

“I fucked up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and tell me what you thought! I seriously love commenters, you just take time out of your day n' stuff and thank youuuuuu you sweet, sweet people!
> 
> ~idi2


	5. Woke The Fuck Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Last night I woke the fuck up, I realized I need you here, as desperate as that sounds, yeah, yeah' 
> 
> \+ a few more 'yeah's
> 
> ~Jon Bellion~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This took a while to write. SORRY. Beta read by the WONDERFULLLL 
> 
> unmei_na_no_da_yo & fuckup101 & Roxxane_bookdragon!!!
> 
> They're all grreeeaaaattttt
> 
> ~idi2

****

### Three years ago:

****

_Kagami felt really warm. The only thing that was cold was his right shoulder. Kagami was lying on his back, and there was something really_ nice _wrapped all around his left side._

_His eyes weren’t open, but light still shined through Kagami’s eyelids._

_Kagami’s left arm was already wrapped around the amazingly warm, also smooth, not really soft--like not at all but the mattress made up for that--form. But anyway, Kagami wrapped his arm tighter around the person beside him. Even if he hadn’t opened his eyes yet, Kagami knew it was a person, it’d be fucking weird if it weren’t after all._

_And as the figure draped over his left side shifted, with warm, lean skin rubbing against Kagami’s own bare side as they did, he got an inkling of who it was._

_Kagami cracked open one eye and the sight before him was one of the most welcome things in the universe._

_They had yet to put up the blinds in the apartment so the warm, early morning sunlight poured into the entire room. Kagami was lying in bed, with the only things on it being him, a big white and blue stripped comforter, and Daiki. Both naked as they day they were born and the comforter was sort of a wrinkled mess over on the bottom half of the bed._

_Although… was Daiki even touching the mattress?_

_Kagami blinked as he lazily assessed their position. Snuggling into his entire left side were expanses of warm, chocolatey skin. Daiki had his head resting on Kagami’s chest, with his left arm up hugging around Kagami’s shoulder and his right closed around his chest. Daiki also had his leg up over Kagami’s hips and simply pressed into him at every point he could._

_A smug little smile tugged at Kagami’s lips when he focused on the messy blue head of hair resting just below his collarbone. Daiki’s face was tilted up at him, his face smoothed over and calm, and there wasn’t a single furrow between his two delicate eyebrows._

_Long blue lashes hung heavy with his shut eyes and his lips were parted. The idiot wasn’t drooling at the moment and he actually wasn’t snoring either. Daiki said it was Kagami who snored but that was a lie. Instead, Daiki’s shallow, warm breaths just tickled over his chest._

_About four fifths of Kagami were willing him to go back to sleep and hug Daiki closer where his arm was around the other man’s waist._

_But that last fifth told him to just keep staring._

_And Kagami knew he’d have hours to keep sleeping, goodness knows Daiki wouldn’t be up for another three days if he had his way. So for once the minority won over._

_But Kagami did still hug Daiki closer. It was a nice little compromise._

_Kagami shifted again, feeling his own skin comfortably brush against his boyfriend’s. Daiki didn’t even budge, completely zonked out by sleep. Kagami moved his previously useless right hand to tease at Aomine’s blue hair. The guy needed a shower, but it was as soft as ever despite that._

_Kagami used a few idle minutes to just run his hand along Daiki’s back, over the darkly tanned, nicked here and there skin. Okay so yeah that was a bite mark on his shoulder blade, but every time the arm Daiki had by his neck shifted something stung so he himself was probably sporting a few hickeys. Because Daiki was a jerk who liked to leave marks_ just _because Kagami thought it was annoying._

 _Kagami never really sat back to look at things, so he did so now, from Daiki’s serene face to the thigh he had draped over Kagami to his ass. Yes, Kagami took a moment to stare at, or in all honesty, appreciate his ass. It was right there, as toned and kinda small and overly perfect as usual and Daiki was_ his _boyfriend, dammit! That was an automatic free pass._

 _Also Kagami wasn’t really able to get away with an_ innocent _glance every now and again. Even though_ Daiki _was apparently allowed to walk up behind Kagami while cooking, lick his ear and stroll away without consequences._

 _And about 45 seconds after_ that _assessment a thought popped into Kagami’s head._

Okay this is boring. 

_“Oi!” Kagami took his hand and jostled Daiki shoulder, “Hey, Aho, get off.”_

_Daiki’s face instantly scrunched up, a not-so-little ‘v’ shape popping up on his forehead as he burrowed closer into Kagami’s chest._

_“Daiki, get off me,” Kagami huffed as he moved his arms behind him in an attempt to sit up._

_“Hmmgn,” Daiki growled, his arms gripping tighter around Kagami._

_“Dai!” Kagami sat up as much as he could, basically holding up Daiki who didn't do shit except link his hands together on Kagami’s back and hug him tighter._

_Kagami hung his head back with a groan._

_And with a quick heave Kagami pushed the two of them over onto the bottom half of the bed._

_Daiki still clinged to him, his face scrunching up. And he flopped back down onto the mattress, with his hands still linked behind Kagami’s back._

_“Taigaaa…” he whined, finally coming to._

_Kagami braced himself up on his forearms as he watched Daiki’s eyes blink open._

_Blue depths squinted up at him in the bright morning light. Daiki looked up at Kagami’s face and then glanced down._

_“Wow, babe, already?” he asked, Daiki’s arms slid to hang onto his shoulders loosely, his voice was deep and rough like it always was in the mornings._

_“Shut up,” Kagami huffed, “I was just trying to get you to get off me.”_

_Daiki looked down again, squinting, “But you’re not even hard.”_

_“Moron,” Kagami said as he shoved one of tanned arm away and scrambled up away from him._

_“Noooo! Taiga come back,” Daiki climbed up after him, “Let’s have first morning in new apartment sex!”_

_Kagami managed to sit up in the bed but Daiki was on him in a second, his hands around Kagami’s neck and lips by his ear._

_“We need to put clean sheets on here anyway,” Daiki said, his voice low, smooth, breath wet and hot against the shell of Kagami’s ear. And he could feel Daiki’s hard, muscled chest and abdomen press against his back._

_Kagami turned his head over to look at his boyfriend, his face unimpressed._

_“You think bringing up laundry’s gonna turn me on?”_

_Daiki glared at him, but let go of him and flumped back onto the bed all the same._

_“Well_ yeah _, you got hard when you first saw the new kitchen so why not?”_

 _“I did_ not _,” Kagami said as he turned to look at Daiki over his shoulder._

 _He was sprawled out on the comforter, all lean muscles and dusky skin, with that tiny tattoo on his right side, just under his ribs. Daiki had gotten it over a year ago now, and it wasn’t even finished. The whole_ ‘big badass composition’ _that was supposedly going to stretch across his entire side turned out as only a pair bold yellow-green eyes with a deep black outline. Apparently one day he’d have the cat finished, but so far the past 365 hadn’t been_ that _one._

_But all the same, only an asshole like Daiki could be so casually gorgeous._

_“C’mon,” Kagami said, still staring over his shoulder, “We need to keep unboxing.” Which was very true, because there was cardboard everywhere and they hadn’t gotten shit done yesterday. As soon as the keys clinked into Kagami’s hands they’d gotten a bit… excited._

_“Let me revel in our slightly over priced not a shit hole home,” Daiki grumbled, twisting to cuddle into the bunched up comforter completely comfortable with the fact that he was buck-ass néked._

_“Revel after we’ve moved in,” Kagami said, hitting him lightly on the thigh._

_“No,” Daiki said, “We fucking payed for it, I get to do nothing in it.”_

_They were both quiet for a moment. Daiki had probably already gone back to sleep, meanwhile Kagami suddenly found himself debating_ why _he was about to get out of bed._

_“Hey Taiga,” his boyfriend said from behind him, “Why the hell didn’t you let your dad pay for the down payment? It was a helluva lot better than what we got from my parents.”_

_Kagami turned his body so that he could look down at the other man, who was now on his side._

_“Because--”_

_“And explain to me while spooning,” Daiki tacked on, blindly reaching his right arm out towards Kagami._

_Kagami gave in instantly but he still grumbled while he did it._

_“Lazy ass,” Kagami said as he laid back down, he slid his arms around Daiki’s middle and his chin placed itself into the nook of the other man’s tanned neck. His skin was so warm._

_“I turned him down because this place is ours, moron,” Kagami said against Daiki’s cheek as short cut blue hair tickled his ear, “We’ll pay for it and take care of it. This is our first_ solid _thing, the old place holds a lot of memories but it was always temporary. This is a home and I don’t anyone else having any claim too it, even if it’s just some signature and what my dad thinks is pocket change.”_

_He felt Daiki sigh in his arms, and one tanned hand raised up and behind him to slowly run through Kagami’s hair._

_“Damn you,Taiga,” he said._

_“Huh?!” Kagami said suddenly, pushing himself up to look at Daiki’s face. As he moved, Daiki shifted his hand to rest it against his cheekbone._

_He was grinning, head turned to lay flat against the bare mattress and blue eyes shining, “Stop making me fall in love with you all the time, it’s annoying.”_

_Kagami beamed back and he leaned down to peck Daiki on the lips, they were as hot and familiar as always._

_“Ew, morning breath,” Kagami said as he pulled away, he also moved to_ actually _get out of bed, “And c’mon, I’m gonna make breakfast. Help me find the clothes box.”_

_“Ohh, food,” Daiki hummed and Kagami could hear him shuffling off the bed._

_Kagami stood up and assessed the boxes around them, hands on his hips. They didn’t exactly do a super job labeling._

_“Dai is a clothes box on your side?” Kagami asked as he turned around, just in time to see the tanned moron walk out the bedroom door, not a thing on him but skin as he_ strolled _out._

_“DAIKI! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!”_

_Daiki suddenly turned around, leaning into the doorway and smirking, his deep blue eyes full of mirth, even crossing his feet at the ankle to fill out the entire_ ‘Look I’m a pretty douche’ _checklist._

_“Come help me christen the kitchen, Taiga~” he said before rushing off._

_“AHOMINE!!”_

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Kagami was cold when he woke up in his fully made bed, despite the tee shirt and boxers, and the comforter he had on around his chest. Kagami’s phone buzzed over on his nightstand. 

He lazily reached out for the device and managed to swipe in a way that stopped the racket. 

HIs bedroom was dark with the heavy winter curtains hanging over the windows. 

Kagami rubbed his palm over his nose. Man, today involved one of those moments where it felt like his bones were just glued to the mattress. Kagami’s eyes weighed on him before he closed them again, his chest rising and falling heavily with a yawn. 

Synthetic little chimes made him reach blindly for his nightstand, to swipe it off--

Waiit. 

He’d turned off his phone. Right? Aw shit, it hadn’t been one a those weird moment where you dream about getting up and getting ready the morning, was it? Because those were damn annoying. 

Kagami opened his eyes for what he assumed was the second time but who knew, maybe he _was_ in Inception? 

Kagami turned his head to see that his alarm was _indeed_ off and that there was still an annoying as fuck ringtone sounding through the apartment. Was it Sousuke’s? Possibly. But not probably, considering it was a school day so he knew Sou was awake the fact the kid was glued to the device. 

God, he really didn’t _want_ to get out of bed but Kagami was doing it anyway as he swept back the sheets and sat. His feet met cool, soft carpeting as he turned. Kagami lifted his arms and twisted his shoulders with a huff. He slowly stood up and that annoying yet distant chime was still in his ears. 

Kagami half blindly walked towards his door, the not-so-faint chimes sounded throughout his apartment. He’d forgotten to look at the time when he shut off his phone, so all Kagami knew was that it was _early_. 

Kagami stumbled into the hall and shut his eyes and listened for a moment, for the sound. And he mostly closed his eyes because he was still too sleepy to keep them open. 

He heard something in the bathroom. And even if the annoying ping wasn’t in the bathroom he was gonna go there anyway. He needed shower. He had to be at work soon-ish. 

As soon as his stumbling brought Kagami to the bathroom door he lightly pushed it open and… _goddamn it_. The noise only got louder. _Fan-flippin-tastic_. 

Kagami flipped on the bathroom light, and _shit_ that was a _mistake_ and now he was blind. He slapped a hand over his eyes and brushed his bangs back as his eyes adjusted to the fucking _bright_ light over his sink, like goddamn, did the mirror magnify it? Was that a thing? At least he didn’t accidentally turn on the AC or he’d just freeze to death and give up on life for a bit. 

Kagami squinted open his eyes. The annoying chime, the one that was always the first ringtone on your phone until you change in about a month later or never, sounded through the room. Kagami checked the white countertop, nothing. The back of the toilet was clean. Kagami even walked inside and pulled back the shower curtain to check the little soap shelf. 

Nothing. 

Kagami listened again for a moment, now, it wasn’t exactly important whether or not he found this ringing device, but now it was an achievement if he _did_. He didn’t know where it was. But damn him if Kagami was gonna let the tweety little bitch beat him. 

Kagami spun around, there was only one other place. 

The laundry hamper. 

It was actually full now. Kagami hadn’t gotten around to doing any laundry over the weekend. And the sound was emanating from _there_. It had to be. Anything that got dropped down the toilet would have involved screams and tears and a pair tongs and a bag of rice. 

Kagami stopped over with a little alive-ness for the first time that morning, picked up the side handles on the still cloth, green-khaki colored hamper and tipped it on it’s head in the middle of the bathroom. 

Kagami made quick work fishing around in the pile and finding a pair of black slacks that he didn’t own and the glowing back right pocket. 

Crouched over the pile, Kagami curiously took out the phone and looked at the screen, it practically _screamed_ at him in a peppy tone. The brightness was only half way up so his retinas didn’t need to go to rehab again when he was met with a rather flattering image of Momoi Satsuki across the front. It was obviously a selfie of his long time friend, and she wore a bright smile and had her long pink hair in a loose fishtail down her right shoulder. 

Then the name across the top read _‘Don’t Answer’_ instead of _‘Momoi’_ and the shit that was going down finally clicked in Kagami’s half awake brain. 

This was Aomine’s phone. 

Kagami was well aware that Momoi had almost two decades of experience of Aomine never answering the phone, meanwhile he only had one. Or, that was a lie, when they first met Aomine would pick up after the first ring and then resorted back to his rude-ass self a few months later. 

While Kagami was thinking about this, the call got to it’s last ring. The picture of Momoi vanished and the screen went dark. And for two seconds Kagami registered that Aomine had a new phone. But then again, of course he did, it’d been two years. Kagami wondered how long it’d taken him to get a new one, did he still have the old photos--?

The screen lit up again, showing the notifications for _22 missed calls_ and _32 unread messages_. Before it was once again covered with the Momoi selfie all over again.

Kagami quickly tapped the green button and slid it across the screen to answer. 

“Hey, it’s--” 

“ _DAI-CHAN WHY HAVEN’T YOU ANSWERED YOUR PHONE IN THREE DAYS? YOU CAN’T DO THAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T WE TALKED ABOUT THIS. IF YOU DROP OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH AGAIN I’M THROWING ALL YOUR STUFF OUT THE WINDOW!! AND I LIVE ON THE TENTH STORY DAI-CHAN, YOU KNOW I’M SERIOUS! SAY GOODBYE TO THOUSANDS OF YEN IN THE SAME SHOE IN DIFFERENT COLORS!_ ” was screeched through the speaker. 

“Uh… Momoi this is Kagam--” 

“KAGAMIN?!?” 

Dear lord, he truly loved and respected this woman but it was too early for this many decibels.

“ _KAGAMIN WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING DAI-CHAN’S PHONE? DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS HE HASN’T TALKED TO ME IN THRE--_ ” 

“Three days!” Kagami cut in, “Yeah, I heard you before. And talk normally, please?” 

“ _Oh! I’m sorry Kagamin I was just really worried and now really surprised? Why are you answering Dai-chan’s phone? Did something happen? Are you and--_ ” 

“Hah? Oh,” Kagami rubbed at his temple as he brought the phone to his ear, “He dropped by on uh… Friday night and ran out Saturday afternoon, Sousuke and I haven’t been in the apartment a lot over the weekend so I guess we didn’t hear the phone… Though you’d think a teenager would have a sixth sense for unanswered messages or something like that.” 

“ _So you haven’t seen him since?_ ” Momoi asked, she really did sound worried. But Kagami supposed he would too. From what he’d gathered Aomine had been staying with Momoi for however long he’d been back. 

“Uh, no, sorry,” Kagami said, “Haven’t really been scheduling any luncheons.” 

“ _I’m sorry, Kagamin_ ,” Momoi said, her voice a touch quieter. 

“Don’t be, you’re not the fucking idiot,” Kagami huffed as he stood up and leaned back to partially sit on the sink counter. He crossed one arm over his chest so that he could support the elbow of the arm that held his phone. 

“ _Oh, I know_ ,” Momoi said, laughing a bit, “ _But still, I_ told _him that he can’t just run back just drop back into everyone’s lives_.” Kagami listened to her sigh over the line. 

They were both silent for a moment as Kagami thought about his next question. 

“Hey Momoi…?” 

“ _Yes, Kagamin?_ ” 

“Did he tell you why he left?” 

“ _No_ ,” she answered instantly, “ _I wouldn’t let him in and stay with me until he said something, though._ ” 

“What’d he say?” Kagami asked, possibly faster than he wanted to. 

“ _That I’d hate him more if he did._ ” 

Well that was heavy. 

“Wow--” 

“ _I’m sorry Kagamin! That’s a pretty big downer, huh? Goodness, we haven’t talked in weeks and this is our first conversation. We need to get together, I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve been so busy lately!_ ” 

“I have a child now--” 

“ _Who you haven’t let anyone_ meet! _Is Sou-kun so much of an angel you’re keeping all to yourself? You need to share this little bundle of joy_.” 

“Momoi he’s a 16 year old boy he doesn’t crap rainbows.” 

“ _Well I wouldn’t know that, now would I?_ ” 

God, why was this woman a professional at guilting?

“ _I need to go now Kagamin, I’m going to call Kuroko and see if he’s heard anything from that brain-stunted blueberry--_ ” 

Kagami snorted at that. 

“ _\--Anyway, bye Kagamin! Have a nice day!_ ” 

“You, too, Momoi,” Kagami said before hearing the dial tone pop up as Momoi hung up. 

Kagami brought the phone away from his ear and looked at it for a moment. It was black and had a blue case on it. Simple enough. He clicked it on to look at the time, the screen lit up to once again be covered in notifications. Facebook messages from Momoi, email, calls and texts riddled the screen. 

It was currently _7:13_ in the morning, as the thin white numbers on screen told him, with a sky-blue color as a backdrop. 

Kagami frowned, swiping away the translucent gray notification boxes to reveal the photo that shined across the screen. 

It was a photo of one tiny section of clear, white, sandy beach with crystal blue water out beyond. Nothing affected the image. Even though Kagami knew that outside the frame there had been people everywhere. That’s how it always was in L.A.. Aomine had had to wait a full 20 minutes for nine seconds of nobody in the frame to snap the photo. At the bottom on the screen with a little _‘swipe to unlock’_ running across it were two pairs of feet. 

Kagami had had his legs crossed as he impatiently sat on the blanket waiting. He’d just want to run off at get back to swimming, had that been a sin? Meanwhile Aomine had been taking his sweet time, laying out across the towel without a drop of sunscreen because his skin was already fried. With those stupid aviators on that he’d thought he looked so hot in. Only to lose them when they went surfing much to Kagami’s not-all-that-inner joy. 

Kagami clicked off the screen, the black glass showed red eyes looking back at him. 

_‘I don’t know how I managed to forget.’_

He needed to get ready for work. Ah jeez, and he was working late hours today too.

But first! 

Kagami stomped out of the bathroom, and quickly made his way down the hall having woken up a lot more. And quickly made his way to the very dark living room. The only light was coming from Sousuke who was on the sofa with his laptop, a giant pair of gray headphones sitting on his ears, covering up what were probably a dozen bits of metal hanging off the sides of his head. With his dark hair messed up just shy of stupid. 

The kid was already in his version of a ‘uniform’ with his back pack lying on the coffee table, hopefully packed but even if it wasn’t he still had 20 minutes. Give or take. 

“Oi!” Kagami grunted, standing over the edge of the sofa, he held up the phone that had been _blaring_ throughout the house a few minutes ago phone and started down at his _dear_ foster child. Sousuke was still tapping away at his laptop. 

“Hey, Sou!” he called again, this time Sousuke paused, he glanced up at Kagami and even lowered his laptop screen. 

“This phone has been going off _all morning_ and you didn’t hear is?” Kagami asked, his eyebrows furrowed and his free hand landed on his hip. 

Sousuke stared at him, straight in the eyes, nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m all packed up for school don’t worry,” before going _straight back_ to whatever the blue light on his screen was. 

Kagami sighed through his nose, slowly. 

“Thank you for proving my point,” Kagami grunted as he turned around again. 

Kagami headed straight back to his own room. Man, he’d only been awake ten minutes and already this morning had involved too much walking. 

Kagami switched his bedroom light on, showing the queen sized bed in the middle of the room, a big dresser on the opposite wall, a closet in the right corner from the door, window, yadda yadda. Kagami tossed Aomine’s phone on his unmade bed and snatched up his own. 

He didn’t know what the hell to do with Aomine’s stuff. There was always the option of handing it over to Sousuke and letting him set it on fire, but there was still another alternative. And yeah, he was kinda stealing this idea from Momoi, but whenever he had a problem he usually texted Kuroko anyway so there. 

_**[To: ghostie** _

_**U got plans 4 lunch?]**_

And because Kuroko was one of those people who had their life together and one of those friends that always messaged back he got a response before he even made it to the dresser for a new shirt. 

_**[From: ghostie** _

_**That depends Kagami-kun, do you have time to bake brownies to serve 23?]** _

_**[To: ghostie** _

_**Cya @ 12:30]** _

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke’s thoughts were kinda… nowhere as he and Rin walked up the stairs to homeroom. Which he supposed were pretty normal for him on a regular basis and at the moment, welcome. It was still damn cold and Sousuke was only really thinking about how Gou had laughed at Rin and him about _‘twining’_ with their beanies. 

Seriously, they were _not_ twining. Sousuke’s beanie was blue and gray striped and Rin’s was maroon. End of discussion.

So with that state of mind Sousuke walked into homeroom, alongside Rin. As always they split up as soon as Rin got to his row, and that was _usually_ the moment when Sousuke would look up and see Makoto and he'd wave and then Sousuke would nod. And shit, it was nice getting to use his first name. They were friends now. And _wowza_ was he pathetic. 

Sousuke glanced up, trying to pull off that whole _looking casually in your crushes direction through your bangs and hoping you make eye contact but even if you don't it just looks like you're looking out the window or something._

His gaze took Sousuke to Makoto’s seat. Waiting for that smile and head tilt that had snatched up all his devotion on that first day. 

Makoto was in his seat--

Hunched over his desk and head turned to stare out the window?

Sousuke frowned. He absently fiddled with the right strap of his backpack as he walked over to his seat and flopped down. 

He shrugged off his backpack with a loud _thump_ and watched Makoto’s shoulders twitch at the sound. 

Sousuke glared at the other boy’s back for a moment and crossed his arms. He slumped back in his seat and let his long legs stretch out under his desk, going under Makoto’s chair. 

“Hey,” he grunted out. And whoa, was that the first time he'd ever enunciated a conversation? Better not think about that too long, it made him sound pathetic. 

Sousuke’s frown deepened as he watched Makoto’s back shift in front of him, but Makoto didn’t turn around. 

“ _Oi_ ,” Sousuke hissed, grabbing the front of his desk and pulling himself forward so that he was closer to Makoto’s head, “You good?” 

Silence. 

Sousuke squinted as he pulled himself a touch closer. 

“ _Makoto?_ ” he whispered. 

“M’fine…!” the other boy suddenly squeaked, straightening up in his seat but still not turning around. Or looking… fine. 

Sousuke let go of the front lip of his desk and slumped back again, eyes narrowed at the figure in front of him, from his stiff back to his messy olive-brown hair to his--red ears? 

****

###  **➺➺**

Makoto hadn’t turned in his seat for the last four and a half hours. _Four_ and a _half_ hours. Lunch was about to start in less than 20 seconds and Sousuke was going to grow a pair of balls for once and ask the brunette who was acting hella weird to stay in homeroom for once. And not--VANISH like he did every single day for every single lunch as long as Sousuke had attended this school and a quick interview of Rin showed that he’d done it for all the terms before this one too. 

And while that thought passed through Sousuke’s head, he watched as his 20 second window went _poof!_ and their teacher finished talking. Sousuke shifted in his seat like he was about to stand up as he watched Makoto gather all his things. 

_Shit, okay,_ his brain stammered. _Uh, time to think of something to say fuckfucknohe’sstandinguphe’sgonnaleave._

Sousuke opened his mouth--

“Hey! Tachibana!”

Sousuke spun his head around to see _Rin_ walking over from his seat in the back. 

Sousuke spun his head again, to see Makoto standing as still as a statue, backpack half over his shoulder and green eyes wide. 

“Matsuoka-kun?” Makoto questioned. 

“Tachibana I have a question for you,” Rin said, stopping in front of Sousuke’s seat and giving Makoto a weirdly firm look. 

“A-ask away.” 

That was all the opening Rin needed. 

“So we’re friends now, right?” Rin asked, giving the brunette a little sharp toothed smile, “And I know you’ve gotten a lot closer to Sou here,” Rin added as he reached over and jostled Sousuke’s shoulder with his hand. 

Sousuke shot a confused look at Rin, who was just looking at Makoto, so he turned to Makoto. Who look as pale as a statue now. 

“Uh…uhm...I--” Makoto managed to studder. 

“So I was wondering if you’d like to stay and have lunch with us today,” Rin bulldozed over what ever attempt Makoto had at speaking.

“I can’t,” Makoto said quickly, staring right at Rin, he hadn’t even _looked_ over at Sousuke, “I’m sorry but I gotta go--” 

“Aw, c’mon buddy!” Rin insisted, quickly hopping over and tossing an arm around Makoto’s shoulders. The brunette went completely rigid at the touch. Sousuke just sat there like a moron, not saying a word, “Where is it you’ve gotta be _every single day?_ Can’t you miss one lunch?” 

“Ah, no,” Makoto said, “I need to talk about the ki--UHM,” Sousuke was staring intently enough at Makoto where he saw the boy’s eyes quickly glance at him, and suddenly there was color in his face again. 

“I need to go sit with Haru-chan!” Makoto blurted out before wriggling himself out of Rin’s loose grip and almost running into a desk as he speed-walked to the door. 

Sousuke just stared at the door that Makoto had just sprinted through, then he turned to Rin, who was staring at him. 

“What the fuck did you do?” the redhead asked, “Why is Tachibana broken?” 

Rin then sat down in Makoto’s now empty seat, snatched Sousuke’s backpack and started to fish his bento out of it.

“You stop packing lunch?” Sousuke asked as he watched Rin pull out his lunch that served three. 

“Don’t change the subject,” Rin huffed as he opened up everything and started to attack his rice, “What’s with Makoto?” 

“I don’t _know_ ,” Sousuke said, both his hands reaching up for his hair, “Things were _fantastic_ over the weekend! Like! The best!” 

“What _did_ happen over the weekend?” Rin asked, using his chopsticks to pop a little bite of beef into his mouth. 

“I already told you,” Sousuke said, reaching over into his bag for the other lunch container, because it seemed Kagami wouldn’t let him out of the house without servings for three. 

“We studied, then he had to get home before dinner.” 

“And then you were a moron, got lost walking him home but he thought it was cute so he walked you back again?” Rin asked, refreshing the knowledge Sousuke had already sent him novel length messages about Saturday night. 

“He didn’t think I was cute, he’s just a fantastic person,” Sousuke growled. 

Rin sighed but didn’t say anything other than, “Fine, so where do you think something went wrong?” 

“Nowhere!” Sousuke exclaimed, “The walk back to my place was the best part of the day, so even if something happened before that I don’t get why he’d walk me back.” 

“So it _had_ to be during the walk?” Rin asked. 

“I guess?” 

“Go through the walk step by step,” Rin said as he ate. Meanwhile Sousuke was just poking at his own delicious food, thinking. 

“There’s seriously nothing helpful there, but fine…” Sousuke said, “So we got back to his apartment building… and like it took a little longer to say goodbye that time so he was still outside when he saw me walk… in the wrong direction to get back to his house. Then he convinced me to let him walk me home. And we just--talked. Joked around and he wouldn’t stop _smiling_ it was amazing.” 

Sousuke paused for a minute when he realised he was staring fondly at the piece of broccoli he was holding halfway to his mouth. 

“So anyway,” he said as he put the bite in his mouth and chewed, the coughed before he continued talking, “Okay so after he walked me back home, I saw that asshole booking it out of the building-- _still_ in Kagami’s shit--so I turned back to Makoto, said bye and--” 

Sousuke choked. 

“And you what?” 

Sousuke slowly but surely got air to start coming back into his windpipe. There was one little moment running over and over again in his mind. Like his own personal little gif of the moment when his life went to shit. 

He hadn’t know how to say goodbye. Didn’t know how to not cross a line. So it seems he’d just gone _fuck it_ without realizing and crossed ALL THE LINES. 

He’d just leaned in and done it. It was so fast he himself didn’t remember doing it but the deed had been done all the same. 

He’d done did it. 

“Fuuuuuuck,” he squeaked quietly, still looking down at his food, he didn’t wanna look at Rin. Nope. That’d be bad. 

“I kissed Makoto…” 

Sousuke felt a hand on the collar of his blazer, and he looked across his desk and saw the wrath of god. 

Rin had his jacket in a death grip, his longish red hair half fell in his face and his wine colored eyes _blazed_ , and his sharp teeth looked a lil’ extra menacing. 

“And you didn’t _tell me?_ ” 

“I didn’t remember!!” Sousuke whisper shouted, “I seriously, in all honestly, did not remember until this moment.” 

“Bullshit, you kissed the embodiment of sunshine, you’d remember that,” Rin hissed. 

“It was just a peck on the cheek!” Sousuke defended himself, raising his hands to his sides and waving them half-frantically, “And I got distracted by the shit that happened with Kagami!” 

Rin narrowed his eyes again, but released his collar and sat back in his seat. 

“Okay, so you kissed him, you are now the idol of angsty boys with hopeless crushes everywhere,” Rin said, “But that doesn’t explain Makoto, he’s acting like someone’s placed a hit on him.” 

And it was at that moment when Sousuke’s mind jumped off a bridge into the river name _Conclusions._

“Oh my god he’s dating someone and so he probably feels fucking awful because I kissed him.” 

“ _Haru-chan_ ,” Rin hissed, a hand going to his chest. 

Sousuke nodded solemnly, “Haru-chan.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami walked down white cinderblock covered hallways, a large, aromatic baking pan in his hands. He’d memorized the way to Kuroko’s classroom a _while_ ago so he walked as fast as he could down the halls. His lunch break wasn’t exactly a long one so he needed to get going. 

It was just another turn and then the first door on the right annnnd--

“KAGA-SAN!”

Kagami stood in the doorway, his hand on a door covered in fingerprint art, with 21 pairs of greedy little eyes on him. 

Oh, and then Kuroko, at his desk at from front of this room, an apron around his waist and chest and hairnet on his head. 

“Hello Kagami-kun,” the teacher said with a _tiny_ smile, “You’re just in time for lunch.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kaga-san!” a tiny dude with brown hair covered in a tiny hairnet said over and over as he got a brownie on his plate. A big brownie mind you, those little bite-shits aren’t worth anybody’s time thank you very much. 

“No problem,” Kagami said with a smile as he turned back to his own lunch spread out across Kuroko’s little desk. 

They’d gone through this before, enough to where Kagami recognized some of the kids in Kuroko’s class a lot, even had a few names logged away. He’d bring baked goods and that was enough of a toll to be allowed in to talk to Kuroko. 

“So Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said as he paused from eating his soup. Kagami had grabbed himself a serving too. Even though he’d brought his own lunch, he could manage a little soup. Especially when the carrots came from the school garden. 

“What can I do for you?” Kuroko asked. 

“Uhm, well,” Kagami started, he glanced away from his best friend, instead glancing out across the class. The kids were all in little desk clusters, a sea of smocks and hairnets and brownie smeared faces. 

“I need to talk to you… ‘bout something,” Kagami paused, trying to phrase things correctly, especially when there were children in the room. 

_‘The fuckwad won’t leave me alone’_

_‘Douche left his phone at my place.’_

_‘And stole my fucking sweatpants.’_

Shit, censoring was fucking difficult. 

“About Aomine,” Kagami said instead, that said everything without saying everything, perfect. 

“I see,” was all Kuroko said, managing to sound calm and understanding with only a sniff of judginess, so small that you almost believe it was your imagination but you _knew_ it wasn’t. 

Kagami was silent as he took another bite of his soup, half watching Kuroko, half trying to not look like he was watching Kuroko. 

“And?” Kagami huffed. 

“You’re the one that wanted to have the conversation Kagami-kun, and all I’ve been supplied with is _‘about Aomine’_. I am not a mind reader.” Kuroko said simply. 

“I know that! I just… don’t know where to start. Thought maybe you would,” Kagami said. 

“Ah, so Kagami-kun needs a refresher course in how to _‘bitch about’_ Aomine-kun, I see,” Kuroko said, smiling a tiny bit. 

“Well yeah, I’m a bit rusty,” Kagami said. 

“Then why don’t we start with our most pressing issue and work our way down?” Kuroko said, “That way by the end you’ll only have the little problems on your mind.” 

“Shut up,” Kagami snorted, “But fine, the most pressing issue is him _showing_ the _fuck up_ I suppose--” 

“Language, Kagami-kun.” 

“--yeah sorry. I mean… I still don’t have answers and that’s a _problem_ darn it,” Kuroko huffed out a small laugh. “Anyway, mostly what’s been on my mind is uh, Saturday.” 

“Saturday?” Kuroko prompted.

“He shows in the middle of the _fucking night_ , doesn’t leave in the morning and then when I ask him _why_ we scream at each other,” Kagami hissed, making sure he didn’t like… yell. There were children around. 

“And the _worst_ part is that I feel shitty about yelling at him? Like what the actual f-frick?” Kagami said. 

“Kagami-kun, you are honestly terrible at censoring your speech,” Kuroko said flatly, setting down his spoon to fully turn and face him, “But also, it’s more than understandable that you feel the way you do.” 

“That I simultaneously pity that ass and want him to die in a hole?” 

“Yes.” 

Kagami made a face at that but leaned back in his little chair that had been appropriated from the storytime area and listened. 

“It’s like scolding a child Kagami-kun, it needs to be done, but that doesn’t make you feel less guilty. You’ve sent Aomine-kun into the corner and you feel bad, but that is neither good nor bad, just is, and I believe you’ve been doing the right thing.” 

“This isn’t kindergarten, Kuroko,” Kagami huffed.

“Ohh but it is,” the tiny bluenette retorted, “It always is with you and Aomine-kun--” 

“Oi!” 

“--Aomine over stepped his boundaries, but from what Momoi has told me he’s making an obvious effort to mend things as much as he can. It’s just in a very Aomine-kun way, thus it only works but so well,” Kuroko explained. 

“He also left his shit at my apartment,” Kagami huffed, “Then ran out into almost freezing temperatures in nothing but some sweats. For all I know he’s some popsicle on a street corner by now, but maybe it’s for the best.” 

“Unfortunately I can say with full confidence that Aomine-kun is not a popsicle,” Kuroko turned back to his soup. 

“Huh?” 

“Aomine-kun was at most a very tart slushy when he arrived at my apartment Saturday,” Kuroko said. 

“He was with _you?_ ” Kagami sapped, but quickly got over himself when he remembered something, “You should tell Momoi that,” Kagami said. 

“I did, and she explained to me that you have Aomine-kun’s phone, and other belongings. So for once he has an excuse for not answering.” 

“Yeah for once,” Kagami leaned to rest his elbows on the edge of Kuroko’s little desk, “And by the way could you come over tonight and pick up Aomine’s stuff?” 

“I am not an errand boy, Kagami-kun, I’m a teacher with more degrees than you,” Kuroko said flatly. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Kagami whispered, the froze and shot a guilty little side glance to the oblivious children spread out across the room. 

“I could say the same, Kagami-kun.” 

Kagami rolled his eyes at his best friend. 

“So that aside, how is Yamazaki-kun doing?” Kuroko asked. 

“Turns out he’s 4000 percent gay for one of his school friends,” Kagami said. 

“What a coincidence,” Kuroko said. 

“Kuro-senpai! Kaga-san! May I get another brownie!!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

School was about to let out soon. And _shit_ Makoto hadn’t turned around to look at him once. Which was probably for the best. Sousuke felt like a horrible person. Because Makoto probably felt like a horrible person. Then there was fucking _Haru-chan_ who was probably the embodiment of a damn kitten and how the shit had Sousuke assumed Makoto was single? 

It had probably been blind, wishful thinking on his part. And now he was paying for it. 

God, he still had to dig himself out of the kiss hole. It was only _after_ that that Sousuke would get a chance to mope over the fact that _Haru-chan_ got to spend every lunch with Makoto and had probably been in some fake-ass romance since middle school and _shit_. He wasn’t supposed to mope _yet!_

Sousuke tapped his foot under his desk as he waited to be dismissed. He didn’t really have a plan, he and Rin had basically spent all of lunch hypothesizing about that _Haru-chan_ chick and for once Rin had been a good best friend and talked about Sousuke was _totally_ a better catch. So they’d kinda forgotten how to solve the problem at hand. 

Making Makoto believe that he hadn’t kissed him because he was a love sick moron who didn’t pay attention to shit. 

Now, over the last class Sousuke had only come up with temporary insanity as an excuse, but as the teacher dismissed the class with a half alive wave, Sousuke knew that wasn’t gonna cut it. 

So as quickly as he could, Sousuke raced back to Rin’s seat before he friend had eve stood up out of it. 

“Shit man you gotta help me,” Sousuke whispered as he practically loomed over his buddy’s desk, “We’ve gotta think of something believable and fast man.” 

Rin looked up at him, half annoyed, “Why don’t we just leave it alone? I’m sure he’ll forget and you can be friends and then go on double dates with him and _Haru-chan_ when you finally move on in eight years?” 

Sousuke glared down at Rin, grabbed his collar like the redhead and done to him earlier and yanked him up.

“Don’t joke about this I’m not gonna turn into Kagami--that loud American asshole is--” Sousuke froze, looking back towards the front of the room where he, by some miracle, saw Makoto was still in the classroom, talking to the teacher. 

“That’s it,” Sousuke hissed, “McFuck I’ve done it!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Sousuke saw Rin look at him like he was a mad man. 

Sousuke turned back to his friend whom he was still holding up by his own jacket, “I learned an American greeting from Kagami and do it to all my friends now!” Sousuke said triumphantly. 

Then he paused, staring straight down at Rin who still looked confused as fuck. 

And after that, Sousuke was slapped with the genius stick. 

“All I need to do is kiss you and he won’t question it!” 

“ _WHAT!?_ ” 

“It’s perfect!” Sousuke bulldozed over whatever Rin was trying to say as his friend finally scrambled to stand himself up, “All we’ve gotta do is walk out with him, then outside the front of the building I kiss you for like all of a one thousandth of a second, try not to throw up, then book it outta there and you explain the whole American greeting thing! It’s foolproof!” 

“No!” Rin exclaimed, roughly shoved his messenger bag strap over his head, “You’re not kissing me, that’s damn gross.” 

“Oh please, it’s just a peck it’ll be like your aunt kissed you or something!” Sousuke said, then couldn’t help but snort when Rin turned into a cherry all the same. Then Sousuke looked back up to the front of the classroom, where he saw Makoto walking out the front door. 

“Shit! We’ve gotta hurry!” 

Sousuke walked around the back of Rin’s desk so that he could drag his friend to the front of the classroom. 

“Makoto!” he called out, without thinking. But that was okay, he was still on an over-confidence high from his _genius_ idea. 

The brunette froze just outside the door to the classroom, his ears looked a little red again, was the guy coming down with a cold or some shit? 

“You going somewhere?” Sousuke asked as he walked up behind Makoto and lightly hung his arm over his shoulder. Which was hella weird for Sousuke. He wasn't a… touchy person, but at the moment he had to sell the fact that he saw _kissing_ someone as a proper greeting. Also Kagami had done the whole arm over the shoulder thing to him a few times before, it had to be American. 

“UHM,” Makoto sputtered, he looked like a deer in the headlights if there ever was one, eyes wide and trying to still not look at Sousuke even though his face was right there. Then Rin moved in front of the two of them, saving the situation with his extroverted graces. 

“You wanna walk home with us, Tachibana?” Rin asked. _Thank you Rin_ , Sousuke thought internally. 

“I need to stop by class 1-A,” Makoto said, “I’m sure you guys don’t wanna wait for me so, heh I’ll just go--” 

“You gonna show Tachibana that whole _‘American parting of ways’_ again, Sou?” Rin asked Sousuke, and Makoto actually _looked at him_ , if only in confusion. 

_Fuck you Rin_ , Sousuke thought internally. 

“Heh,” Sousuke huffed out. This hadn’t been his foolproof plan. His foolproof plan involved kissing _Rin_ and then downing some drain cleaner once he got home. 

Sousuke turned his head back to Makoto, who was actually _looking_ at him now and their faces were really close oh shit. 

Makoto was blushing. 

The kid was probably terrified his girlfriend would walk around the corner and see them like this. 

But that thought didn’t stop Sousuke from tilting his head to the side, puffing out his lips and mumbling, “ _Sure_.” 

Makoto’s cheek felt almost scalding against his lips. 

 

Sousuke pulled away not half a second later, his arm sliding off Makoto’s shoulders to hang limply at his side, he wasn’t even sure he could move it if he wanted to. 

“Good ol’ American greeting,” Sousuke said with his best forced smile, “Kagami taught me that.” 

And with that, he grabbed Rin’s bicep so hard he hoped it’d start bleeding as he practically jogged down the crowded hallway. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami unlocked his apartment door at 10:10 that night, his keys jingled quietly in the dim hallway as he opened it to a darker entryway. He was pretty worn out from work and he was only in a heavy jacket, beat up red tee and fraying at the hem jeans. 

“I’m home,” Kagami half mumbled, as he toed off his shoes and hung up his jacket. He knew Sousuke was awake but he also knew Sousuke was most likely holed up in his room blasting dudes screaming until their esophaguses bled in his ears. And shit if he stopped to think about it that didn’t sound like it was only under the death metal category and Kagami needed his brain to shut up now, damn. 

So with that thought, or select parts of it, in mind, Kagami certainly didn’t expect to see the brunette at the bar counter, laptop in front of him, it’s bright light shining into the dark kitchen. There were still those giant Princess Leia rolls on the sides of his head and he was only in a black tank top and some gray joggers that might just be Kagami’s own because they looked a little big.

Kagami quietly walked into the kitchen, flicking on the light switch as he passed. Sousuke looked over his shoulder at him, and Kagami say that his face was completely clean and there wasn’t a single piercing in his ears. The kid looked tired. 

“Hey,” Kagami said as he walked around to the side of the counter opposite Sousuke and leaned forward on his elbows, “You need something?” 

The headphones slid down off Sousuke’s ears to rest on his neck, even the laptop screen lowered as well. 

“Nah, just didn’t feel like hanging out in my room s’all,” Sousuke grunted. 

“That’s a first,” Kagami grunted as he stood straight again and walked over to the fridge, “So how was school?” Kagami asked as he snagged out a beer bottle for himself and cola for Sousuke. 

By the time Kagami turned around and bumped the fridge close with his hip, the headphones were off entirely. And when he leaned back down on the counter, the laptop was pushed to the side. 

“Meh, Rin’s a moron as always,” Sousuke shrugged as he accepted his cola. 

“I see,” Kagami said as he twisted off the cap of his beer, “So stupid friends, check.” 

Sousuke’s soda opened with a _‘pssst’_ , “Yeah and I think Makoto’s dating someone,” the boy continued, looking down at the countertop. He sniffed before taking a sip of his drink. 

Kagami’s eyes widened, this was a new development, actually, the very fact that Sousuke was talking about school was a new development. 

“You know who it is?” Kagami asked, he didn’t really know what else to say. 

“Some chick he calls _‘Haru-chan’_ ,” Sousuke said with a little eye roll and pitch of his voice. 

“Damn,” Kagami grunted quietly. 

“Ye _p_ ,” Sousuke popped his lips, “But this is probably for the best, or at least, I’d prefer this to some dumb shit like confession and _then_ finding out he was straight. This involves less humiliation, and it’s not like there’s much of a chance even if he _was_ gay ‘cause look at me. I’m this big, scary asshole that half the school is convinced can’t even speak so why should I get my hopes up that this one perfect guy could just--” 

“Sou.” 

Sousuke looked up at him, teal eyes big and droopy and he looked just as lost in the world as any teenager ever. 

“Sousuke, it’s gonna be okay--” 

“I know _that_ ,” Sousuke snapped, “But that doesn’t stop it from being shitty _now!_ ” the brunette’s fists curled on the countertop as he spoke, then he glanced away again. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry Kagami.” 

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Kagami said, he smiled faintly as he reached over the counter to put a hand on Sousuke’s left shoulder, “I knew I was gonna get some a this stuff when I applied to be a foster parent. Basically asked for it.” 

Sousuke cracked a smiled, and Kagami brought his hand back to snatch up his beer. He snagged a sip as Sousuke started talking again, it was bitter and exactly what he needed. 

“Why did you become a foster parent?” Sousuke asked, “Why would any guy your age put your life on hold like that?” 

Kagami cracked a smiled around the mouth of his bottle, “It’s not what the average guy in his mid-twenties does, is it?” 

Sousuke shook his head. 

“Well, uh, I’d say I wanted to help the community or charity or whatever, but I was just lonely,” Kagami sighed and ran a hand halfway through his hair, “Basically I wanted something to take care of after Aomine.” 

Sousuke narrowed his eyes, “What does that asshole have to do with any of this?” 

“A lot more than he should,” Kagami said, another small smile sneaking up on his lips, “He was pretty damn time consuming, y’know? And I got used to having a leech, even liked it every now and again for some fucked up reason. And then… _poof_ the bastard’s gone and in his place there’s a lot of free time.” 

“So you were bored?” Sousuke asked, “Why didn’t you just get a dog then?” 

Kagami grimaced, “Because I don’t want my face mauled while I’m sleeping,” he said, feeling a shiver run down his spine at the thought of a owning a _dog_. 

Sousuke raised an eyebrow at him, but Kagami kept talking anyway. 

“I liked the idea of a kid… especially one smart enough to handle itself most of the time. I wanted a relationship with another person, just not a _relationship_. I’m pretty sure it’s too much of a hassle to find someone new to begin with.” 

“But like…” Sousuke started, then paused for a moment, his dark eyebrows furrowing, “What the hell was so great about Aomine? And why are you putting up with his shit now? All he’s done is mess everything up, and like you cuss him out and then you don’t why don’t you just kick him in the nuts and tell him to fuck off? He hasn’t helped you at _all--_ ” 

Kagami snorted, “Why are you making him out to be some kinda villain?” 

“Because he LEFT!” Sousuke barked as his head snapped up again to stare straight at Kagami. 

Kagami straightened a little, looking down at Sousuke with a raised eyebrow. 

“Where did that come from?” he asked. 

“I just don’t _get_ you Kagami,” Sousuke said, staring straight ahead, with his face scrunching up as he spoke, “Why do you give a shit? Why did you let him in Friday night? Why didn’t you throw his stuff out the window when you found it this morning? You don’t own him _anything!_ ” 

“Aomine isn’t some shitty person like you think he is,” Kagami said, shaking his head, “I haven’t let him in with open arms, far from it, but I’m not gonna throw aside someone I’ve known for ten years. I’ve broken friendships before they aren’t pretty--” 

“But _he_ broke it!” Sousuke said, his hands flat on the countertop as he stood up out his seat, “He _left_ ,” the word came out of Sousuke’s mouth like molten tar, his face was still scrunched up and he just looked confused and _angry_. 

“You didn’t do _shit!_ But you’re letting him back in! You don’t think he’s any villain but you need to WAKE UP Kagami and see that he doesn’t deserve any of this! He doesn’t care and he’ll just take shit from you until he think you’ve run out!” Sousuke’s teal eyes were shining. 

“If he cared he wouldn’t leave, if he gave a fuck he wouldn’t have gone _poof!_ ” Sousuke looked down at his hands, bringing them together and blowing them apart in an exploding gesture. 

“Sousuke, I get that you don’t understand but that’s not how it is--” Kagami started. 

“No! That is how it is, that’s how it always is you don’t leave something you love, you don’t go off in the middle of the night to fuck shit up and never be seen again, you don’t abando--” Sousuke was still looking down at his hands, and he cut himself off with a choked sound. 

“Sou…” Kagami started as he walked around the countertop over to the boy. 

“If I was in your positions,” Sousuke sniffed, “I woulda kicked his teeth in by now, if he ever came back I would have… woulda fucking t-- _ghhnn_ ,” Sousuke slapped a hand over his eyes, his shoulders, so broad for a kid his age, trembled.

“Hey… shh,” was all Kagami said as he stepped forward, arms spreading wide before he wrapped them around Sousuke’s shoulders and hugged him. 

Sousuke froze in his arms, an almost silent sob was cut off with an overly loud sniff. Sousuke was tall, borderline lanky, and his pale skin was smooth as Kagami ran right hand soothingly over the boy’s arm. 

“W-what are you doing?” Sousuke asked in a small voice.

“Trying to hug you,” Kagami huffed as he lowered his head to try and see Sousuke’s face, “be nice if you cooperated.” 

Sousuke sniffed again, but he also slowly turned in Kagami’s arms so that he no longer had to hug the brunette sideways. 

“Better?” Sousuke asked as he laid his head down on Kagami’s chest, arms hanging down at his sides. 

“A little,” Kagami said ask he moved one hand up to slowly run through the hair on the back of Sousuke’s head. Sousuke nuzzled his head closer under Kagami’s neck for a second. Letting out a little hiccup as he did. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Kagami asked. 

“No.” 

“Does bitching about Aomine make you feel better?” 

“Not rea--ghnm--not really.” 

“Alright.” 

Kagami continued to run his hands in Sousuke’s short, dark hair, the other making wide circles in his back. And after another minute of randomly placed sniffs and poorly hidden sobs covered up by coughs, Sousuke’s useless arms inched up to hold Kagami around his middle. 

Kagami just tightened his grip, pushing Sousuke’s head a little closer to his chest, ignoring the feeling of something warm and wet soaking through his old shirt. 

“I-I still think y-you’re making a mistake,” Sousuke said, voice choppy and muffled, “About Aomine.” 

Kagami felt yet another smile inch up to his face, “I’m the adult,” he said firmly, “It’s my job to make mistakes,” he continued. 

“You’ll get a chance to make them too, when you’re older. I promise.”

He felt more than he heard Sousuke let out a small laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried writing this.


	6. Maybe IDK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'I guess if I knew tomorrow I guess I wouldn't need faith, I guess if I never fell I guess I wouldn't need grace--Maybe I don't know, but maybe that's okay'
> 
> ~Jon Bellion~ As usual~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by the friggin' AMAZING BrowsOfTheTaiga & unmei_na_no_da_yo

Kagami’s phone buzzed to life on the kitchen counter beside the half filled bento box he was still making a sandwich for. With a glowing little _Incoming call from: ghostie_

Morning light shined through the windows over in the living room. Kagami snatched up his phone without putting down the butter knife in his hand and set the device between his cheek and shoulder. 

“Yello,” Kagami said into the receiver. 

“Did you seriously just say _‘Yello’?_ ” Sousuke asked as he walked behind Kagami with an egg carton. 

“Shut up,” Kagami huffed with a glare over at the emo kid as he fiddled with the stove top. 

_“Man, I hadn’t even said anything yet,”_ a deep voice that was 1000% not Kuroko said on the other end of the line. 

Kagami almost let the phone slip out of his between-cheek-and-shoulder grasp. 

“Aomine?” Kagami questioned. 

_“Uh, yeah,”_ Aomine said quietly, _“Listen I need my phone and shit back. Was wondering if I could uh… I know you wanna like punch me till I go blind but Kuroko says he can’t come get my stuff tonight and I need it before my boss murders me.”_

Kagami was silent for a moment, busying himself with finishing up packing the lunch in front of him. 

_“Shit, jesus Kagami why don’t you just leave it outside your door and tell me what time to get it or something?”_

“Come by at 6:00,” Kagami said before he took the phone back in his hand and hung up. 

Kagami pushed the finished bento beside the one he’d finished earlier. Then he spun on his heel and started to walk towards the pantry beside the stove to grab plates. 

“Why is Aomine coming over at 6:00?” Sousuke asked, he was in half his school uniform, with khakis and the blue button up completely undone with a dark green tee shirt underneath. Sousuke added some butter to the pan in front of him with a spatula as he waited. 

“To get his stuff,” Kagami said. 

“Why not just sell it on ebay?” Sousuke said, not even looking up from the pan. 

Kagami fished out two plates from the pantry and walked back to the counter and set them down. 

“Because,” he said as he turned around again and headed for the silverware drawer, “I know he’s trying.” 

Kagami paused as he reached for a spoon. 

“Kinda.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke didn’t say a lot after he and Kagami finished with breakfast. Sousuke pulled the apartment door behind him, it clicked at it locked. 

Sousuke’s heavy boots thumped on the hall’s cheaply carpeted floors and he yanked his beanie further down on his head, careful not to snag it on one of the three dark blue spikes poking out of the shell of his ear. 

His eyes hung heavy, mindlessly walking towards the elevator. And slowly reaching his hand out for the button when he made it. 

Sousuke knew he looked even more like a little eyeshadow hoarding sadist with the bags under his eyes, but he was too tired to care. 

Too annoyed at himself. 

Sousuke was left alone with his thoughts as he stepped into the empty elevator. Thoughts that made him want to bang his head against a wall instead of quickly jamming the button to the lobby and leaning against the railing. 

He’d made things better the past few months. He felt better, he had Rin. _Kagami_ was better, one of the best foster parents he’d had as of yet. 

Then his fucking melodramatic, broken hearted daddy issues had to go and rear their stupid little heads. 

Sousuke sighed as the elevator doors shut. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

The elevator doors opened with a ping. Kagami rubbed at his eyes as he stumbled through the doors and down the hallway. He’d been on his feet since 8:00 that morning. And it was just past 5:00, like, 5:07 or something like that the last time he’d checked his phone. 

He wouldn’t be this dead ass tired but one of the ovens had given out today and _yeesh_ if that didn’t make him and his co-workers murderous nothing did. 

Kagami yawned as he headed towards the door, he probably looked like a mess at the moment, big red hoodie on and only half zipped, he’d changed into sweatpants because his uniform trousers were too cold and the white, side buttoned jacket part of his uniform was completely undone. 

All he wanted right now was a shower, a change of clothes and the chance to leisurely cook something on a working stove. 

Kagami’s keys clinked as he unlocked his door and shoved it open with his shoulder. 

Layers practically fell off him, first his small duffle bag, then the hoodie, his shoes, and slowly he felt more human. 

“I’m home,” Kagami said as he walked out into the living room, the statement ended with another yawn. 

Sousuke wasn’t acting weird and sitting at the bar counter, that was good. Further investigation on Kagami’s walk to the bathroom showed that he was actually on the sofa with headphones on and phone in hand. Probably texting Rin. If he had to guess. 

But Kagami didn’t feel like guessing, he felt like taking a goddamn shower. He half stumbled down the dark hallway his feet thudding on the floorboards over and over and o… wait that wasn’t him walking. Kagami looked down the hall and saw the little green lights on top of washing machine shine from the little corner closet it lived in.

Aw hell nah. He wanted a shower. He wanted it now and he wanted it to involve some hot water dammit. Kagami walked to the washing machine and pressed the stop button with all the frustration and anger that welled inside him at the thought of the hot water this cursed machine had siphoned away. 

Kagami swung open the door to his bedroom and flipped on the light upon arrival. With another yawn--man, that was like number 900--he threw his remaining stuff the on bed and made his way over to the wide dresser on the adjacent wall. He snagged this dark yellow tee shirt he forgot he even owned and a different pair of sweats, this time they were black and like 40% less baggy. But hey, it seemed he actually _did_ own shirts that weren’t red, black or white, lookie there. 

Kagami then turned around and switched off the light to his bedroom as he existed like the stingy old man he internally was. Then he walked forward into the bathroom where salvation plus a shower curtain lay. Kagami kicked the door shut with his foot, flipped the light, but this time he turned on the AC because he actually wanted to be able to see the mirror when he got _out_ of the shower and quickly got to stripping. 

His oversized sweats and boxers got left on the floor even though the hamper was less than five feet away and Kagami tugged off his ratty tee shirt over his head. 

Kagami took a minute to stretch his arms out over his head and shit something popped in his back and that felt _fantastic_. He was still rolling his shoulders a few times as he shoved aside the shower curtain. 

He fiddled with the shower knob and rested his hands up on the curtain rod as he waited for the water to heat up. 

And just like _everybody else_ when they were alone in the bathroom before a shower, his eyes made their way to the mirror. 

And Kagami could officially say, without sounding vain or over confident--

That he was one of if not the hottest dad ever. 

So yeah Sousuke wasn’t technically his son and Chris Pratt was also a father but as Kagami side-eyed himself, seeing his arms strain right on the edge of the mirror, small wisps of steam already starting to cloud around his naked form, all those honey tan muscles. 

Oh yeah, he was in pretty good shape for a guy who also packed lunches every morning. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami toweled his hair dry in front of the mirror that was fogged up _despite_ him turning on the AC. So now he was freezing his wet ass off for nothing. 

Kagami huffed as he bent over to snag his old clothing and toss them in the hamper. 

And he was reaching for his blue sweats when he heard it. 

Knocking. 

“Oh fuck me,” Kagami muttered as he half blindly reached for his clothing, still with the towel over his head. 

“Sousuke! Can you get that?” Kagami called out as he was doing the putting-pants-on-but-your-legs-are-still-a-little-wet-so-it’s-damn-hard shimmy. 

Silence. 

Or, silence apart from the knocking. 

“Sousuke!” 

Nothing. 

“Jesus christ what’s the point of having a kid if all it does is sit on the damn sofa,” Kagami growled as he threw the towel down on the countertop and grabbed the tee shirt. 

“I’d like to inform you,” Kagami said as he stomped out of the bathroom, some steam going with him as he did, “That you’re a completely useless bag of eyeshadow sometimes,” he continued as he walked past the sofa in the living room on the way to the door. A sofa where Sousuke seemed to be making permanent residence. 

_“God,”_ Kagami groaned. The knocking continued as Kagami turned towards the door, putting his arms through the tee shirt and yanking it over his head as he went. 

Kagami was only just pulling the dark yellow shirt down over his torso when he swung open the door. 

And _Aomine_ was standing on the other side of it. 

“Oh thank fuck, you’re not the pin cushion,” Aomine said, sighing in relief with his hands in the pockets of the dark, dark blue jeans he was wearing, along with a pale gray button up and a tan blazer. And nice shoes. And a leather messenger bag over his shoulder. And okay Aomine had always been better at pairing together a shirt and a tie than Kagami had. But the man looked like he just walked out of Vogue meanwhile Kagami was going commando in some comfy ass sweats at the moment. 

“‘Sup,” Kagami said, getting his brain back on track. Then he remembered. 

“Why are you here?” Kagami asked, sounding as confused as he genuinely, was. 

“My… stuff?” Aomine said, raising an eyebrow, “And I’ve got your shit, too,” he said, reaching for that cool messenger bag he was wearing and opening it. Inside there was a rolled up pair of sweatpants that not only looked like Kagami’s but they also looked clean. 

“Oh, shit yeah,” Kagami nodded, now understanding what the hell was going on. 

“You said it’d be by the door…” Aomine said, letting the unsaid question hang there awkwardly. 

“Can youuu… wait a sec?” Kagami asked. 

“Sure,” Aomine said with a shrug. He looked bored. But of course he looked bored. He was Aomine. 

Kagami was about to close the door but then he realized that that was pretty rude, huh. There were three seconds of awkward, silent contemplation where Kagami assed everything about the current situation between himself and Aomine and honestly Kagami was amazed smoke didn’t waft off his brain as he did. 

So he hated Aomine? Uh, no. He actually didn’t. Yeah, weird right? Or was it. Because well, ever since getting back Aomine hadn’t done anything wrong. Or, at least by Aomine standards. Yes, he’d been rude but the things he said shied in comparison to the things that Kagami had screamed in his face. 

And also… just like Kagami had told Sousuke this morning. It was obvious Aomine was _trying_. 

In his ten years knowing the other man, Kagami couldn’t remember the last time Aomine had ever met anyone half way, let alone run to them. 

“You wanna come in?” Kagami asked, he looked back at Aomine just in time to see those murky blue eyes light up. 

Aomine opened his mouth, the corners of his mouth turning up the smallest bit. 

But then his eyebrows furrowed. Shadowing everything. 

“You really think that’s a good idea?” 

Kagami shrugged, “Probably not. I mean the last thing I need is the neighbors complaining about noise all over again. Or your sorry ass in general.” 

Aomine snorted, a brightness sneaking its way into his eyes once again. 

“Shit, Kagami, I know you’ve never needed me but that hasn’t stopped me, now has it?” 

“Then I guess that means you’re coming in,” Kagami said, shrugging as he stepped to the side and opened the door more. 

Aomine smirked as he walked through the doorway. And as he passed Kagami noticed something. 

“Are you wearing cologne?” Kagami asked, because there was something clearly… oak… like. And it was good, don’t get him wrong! Just not at all expected. 

“Yeah,” Aomine said as he slipped out of his shoes, “I came over straight from work. Didn’t stop by Kuroko’s for a shower and assumed you didn’t want to experience the melding of burnt coffee and rooting in an alleyway for an old lady’s ring.” 

“Rooting for what now?” Kagami asked. 

Aomine shrugged as he took off his jacket, “Sakurai and I were downtown asking some questions about a house burglar and she must’ve saw the badge and stopped us. She lost it taking out the trash.” 

“You find it?” Kagami asked as he closed the door and slipped past Aomine in the small hallway. 

“Yeah, it magically got jammed in a little divot in the brick building’s wall.” 

“Weird,” Kagami said as he walked out into the living room. Sousuke was still on the sofa, trying very hard to ignore all of reality. 

“Hey,” Kagami said, reaching over the sofa and jostling Sousuke’s knee as he spoke, “Where are Aomine’s clothes?” he asked. 

“In the washer,” Sousuke answered absently, but at least it had something to do with the subject at hand. 

Kagami walked down the hall towards his bedroom and of course, the washing machine, just as Aomine slowly strolled out of the entry way. 

Kagami crouched down in front of the dyer and opened it. Only to see that it was empty. Then his slow brain remembered that all of 35 seconds ago Sousuke had told him Aomine’s clothes were in the washer. 

The washer that Kagami had stopped in favor of taking a warm shower. 

Kagami looked over at the completely dark touchpad above the washing machine. 

He hadn’t even paused it. He’d _stopped_ it. 

Kagami sighed as he pulled himself up, opened the machine to see all the clothing sopping wet inside, got to adding a little more detergent, just in case y’know, shut the lid and clicked around on the touchpad to get it going again. 

Kagami was just turning away from his new re-started load of laundry when he heard a shout. A very Sousuke-like yell that said: 

_“Why the FUCK do you have a GUN??”_

Kagami spun the rest of the way around and rushed down the hallway back to the living room. He saw Aomine sitting at one of the stools at the kitchen counter, and Sousuke’s turned away from him, his headphones on the sofa and laptop on the floor. 

“What the hell’s going on here?!” Kagami asked. Sousuke quickly spun around and Aomine leaned to the side in his seat so that he could see Kagami. 

“That bastard has a fucking _gun!_ Why the _hell_ did you let him into the apartment??” 

“Oh, would you calm down and let me explain, Zaki?” Aomine asked. Sousuke stepped to the side and Kagami saw Aomine lean back to rest his elbows on the counter behind him. The position clearly revealed the brown, leather halter Aomine had fastened to his shoulders and back. 

“Kagami! What is going _on?_ ” Sousuke asked, turning around. The kid’s eyes were wide and he was pointing at Aomine. 

“Is he always such a spaz?” Aomine asked. 

“Yes,” Kagami said flatly, ignoring Sousuke sputter at that, “Now, Aomine happens to be a Tokyo city Police Officer,” Kagami explained. 

Sousuke blinked, his dark eyebrows furrowing and his arm lowered. He looked back at Aomine, head tilted. 

“Really?” he asked. 

“Really,” Aomine said, his smile was tight and a slow nod. He even reached behind him, pulling out a wallet looking object and flipping open, showing off his badge. 

Kagami walked behind the couch and over between them. And for the first time… probably ever he saw a new look on Sousuke’s face. The kid looked _fascinated._

“You’re really a detective?” he asked. 

“Yep,” Aomine said, flipping the leather cover back over his badge, he touched the holster strap on his left shoulder, “You think I could take this off?” he asked Kagami. 

“Yeah, sure, just put it in my bedroom I guess,” Kagami said, waving in the direction of the hallway. 

“Cool,” Aomine muttered, sliding down off the stool. He didn’t say anything as he walked past Sousuke who still looked like he had a thousand questions but for once one of them wasn’t _‘why is he here?’_. 

Aomine rubbed at the back of his neck as he slowly walked down the hallway and out of Kagami’s line of sight. 

“He’s a detective?” Sousuke asked, again, “How long has he been one?” 

Sousuke’s teal eyes almost glowed with the contrast of the dark shadows around it and all the questions in his head. 

“Uh, he was only one for a few months before he left,” Kagami said simply. Sousuke opened his mouth, probably to ask another question, or have some luke warm teen comeback about Aomine being the spawn of satan, but Kagami kept talking. 

“Also when did you start the laundry?” Kagami asked, leaning forward to rest his hand on the back of the sofa, looking directly at the shorter teenager. 

“Before you got home,” Sousuke said, crouching down to pick up his laptop and his headphones. 

“How long?” Kagami asked. 

“I dunno,” Sousuke said, shrugging, “I put it in though, why does it matter?” 

“Sou…” 

“Okay _fine_ you texted that you were in the building and I tossed it in before you got up!” Sousuke exclaimed, standing back up, and spreading his arms out defensively. 

Kagami snickered as he pushed himself up off the back of the sofa, “That was _way_ too easy,” he said, “I’m gonna start dinner, you don’t need to help, but don’t just hole yourself up in your room, okay?” 

“Sure,” Sousuke grunted, putting his laptop under his arm. He started walking towards his bedroom. Then he froze. 

“Wait…” he said, “Why is Aomine here? I thought you were just gonna leave his stuff at the door?” 

“Because you forgot to put the laundry in before he got here,” Kagami said. 

Sousuke walked back to his room silently, or silent apart from digging his heels into the floorboards and ears of the poor neighbors below them as he stepped. 

Kagami walked over to the kitchen. He drummed his fingers on the countertop, his mind was pretty much blank when it came to what he should cook for dinner. 

Aomine walked back into the living room--sans the firearm--just as Kagami turned around to root through what he had in the fridge. 

“What took you so long?” Kagami asked as he opened the fridge doors, quickly opening the produce drawer. 

“Uhh, was just looking around,” Aomine said. Kagami glanced at him from around the stainless steel door. He looked--awkward. And Kagami would probably never get used to Aomine looking awkward. 

“So…” Aomine started. Kagami turned back to the fridge, but he heard the sound of Aomine dropping down onto the sofa, “Am I staying over for a bit?” he asked. 

“Do you not want to?” Kagami asked as he rooted through the middle shelf of his fridge. Did he not have beef? Actually, the whole fridge looked a little barren, “Your clothes are still in the wash and that’ll take half an hour, then another half hour to dry,” Kagami explained. 

Kagami pushed aside some leftover chicken, and one of the two egg cartons he had. Then he just scowled and shut the fridge doors. 

Kagami turned around to look at Aomine, his hands still hanging onto the handles to the fridge. 

Aomine was staring out the window, sitting on the edge of the sofa, hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his eyebrows drawn down heavily on his face. 

He looked uncomfortable. No, _unsettled_. Like he didn’t fit in properly to what was around him. 

“Kagami…” Aomine said, quietly, “I--I’m really sorry.” 

Kagami’s hands slid down off the fridge. 

“I just-- _really_ want you to fucking know that,” Aomine continued, he turned his head, staring at Kagami from across the room. 

“I know I can’t apologize for leaving, that’s just. Cheap,” Aomine said with a small shake of his head, “It’s too late for that. I’m sorry that I came back the way I did though--or that I didn’t warn you. Or even call, or anything. That first day I got back I stopped at Momoi’s with my stuff then I came _here_ ,” Aomine said, his hands were clasped together in front of him now. 

Kagami started to walk towards him as he continued. 

“I came here and fuck I didn’t even know if you still _lived_ here but it was the only address I had and I walked in, I didn’t know what the fuck I was gonna say but it started with _Taiga I’m sorry_ and then you--” 

Aomine cut himself and he looked away from Kagami, his right leg starting jumping as he spoke, “Fuck, I shouldn’t be making up excuses but Kagami--I just wanna--” Aomine took his left hand and rubbed across his eyes with it, “I _need_ to make sure you know that I feel like _such_ an asshole for messing all this up for you. I just want you to be ha--gh,” Aomine sucked in a sharp breath. 

Aomine glanced at him, just for a second, running a hand through his hair before weaving his fingers together and clenching again. 

“Aomine,” Kagami said, he was standing right beside the sofa now, with Aomine on the opposite end of it. God, he could barely remember the last time he’d seen Aomine like this. Or, correction--had he _ever_ seen Aomine like this? Half a sentence away from saying fuck knows what and then some?

“Enough with the apologies, I haven’t made all this a smooth ride either,” Kagami said slowly. Kagami stepped around the sofa arm and took a few steps closer to Aomine. 

“I’m still pissed at you,” he started off, still not _really_ knowing how to phrase all this shit, “But you’re still you, a dumbass who’s a big part of my life.” 

“So,” Kagami said, punching Aomine’s arm lightly, “stay for dinner and let’s try to not kill each other.” 

Aomine stared up at him, those thin blue eyes seemed more like they were looking _into_ him. His leg stopped and his arms relaxed.

“Cool.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke tossed his laptop down onto his bed with his headphones following after. 

Sousuke glanced at the mirror that hung in the thin space between his closet and the head of his bed. 

He patted down the hair that had gotten all spiked up when he shoved off his headphones and considered changing out of the light gray sweatpants he was in and--

And what the fuck? 

Sousuke scowled at his reflection before running a hand through his hair and messing it up all over again. 

Aomine was an asshole. A total jerk. A complete dipshit who had a really cool job and made Kagami smile when Sousuke knew the redhead didn’t even notice he was smiling. And he brought back the stuff he’d taken after storming out last Saturday. After a fight that Kagami had explained he had in fact started, not Aomine. 

And he had a really, really cool job. 

And Sousuke remembered when he was little there was that detective that hugged him just before he was sent to his first foster home. And god _fucking dammit_ Aomine was a jerk why was Sousuke thinking of non-jerk sounding things? 

Sousuke sighed in aggravation. Aggravation at what you might ask? Well. he was an opinionated young adult so let’s just go with _‘society’_. 

He then walked over to his door and swung it open just in time to see Kagami walking away from the sofa and into the kitchen. 

Aomine was sitting on the right end of the sofa.

So Sousuke headed towards the left end of the sofa. And Kagami was opening the kitchen pantry and everything was awkwardly quiet. 

Sousuke flopped down on the couch and didn’t look at Aomine, instead deciding that it’d be more productive if he just pulled out his phone and stared at that. So he did. He had three messages from Rin and the latest message started with the phrase _‘how big of a face tattoo is TOO bi…”_

Just as Sousuke was unlocking his phone he heard the pantry door slam shut. Sousuke jumped in his seat and craned his neck around to look at Kagami. 

“Kag--?”

“I haven’t gone grocery shopping in almost two weeks,” Kagami said, he sounded--hollow. 

“Huh?” 

“Almost two _weeks_ ,” he repeated, “We have like--no food,” Kagami said, letting go of the pantry door and then he started walking towards the entry way. 

“Kagami?” Aomine asked. Sousuke looked over to see that the bluenette had twisted himself around on the sofa. 

“I’m gonna go grab a few things,” Kagami said, waving over his shoulder and he snagged a giant hoodie hanging on the coatrack by the door. While simultaneously stepping into a pair of sneakers. 

“What?” Sousuke asked as Kagami grabbed his keys. Then he stopped. 

“My wallets in the other room,” the redhead muttered, speed walking through the living room and down the hall. 

Aomine and Sousuke sat on the couch, completely silent. 

“Dude, can’t you just order something?” Aomine asked when Kagami reappeared in the living room and walked towards the door. 

“I need stuff for the morning too,” Kagami said. He opened the door to the hallway, looking back at Aomine and Sousuke and shrugging, “I’ll only be like… 20 minutes, half an hour or whatever.” 

Then Kagami turned away, yelling _“Watch him!”_ as he shut the door. 

Sousuke looked at the now shut apartment door, then, slowly, he turned to look at the opposite end of the couch. He saw Aomine doing the same, slowly turning to look at him. 

They stared at eachother for a moment. Not saying a word. 

“Well,” Aomine said, seating himself correctly on the couch once again, he leaned back into the soft leather, resting his arm on the armrest, “Don’t do anything stupid,” he said, reaching for the remote sitting between them. 

Sousuke scowlled. 

“I can do whatever I want, _you_ don’t do anything stupid,” he huffed. 

“Kagami told me to watch you,” Aomine said, clicking the tv to life and he started flipping through channels. 

_“No,”_ Sousuke said, twisting back around to face the tv, “Kagami told _me_ to watch _you.”_

“No he didn’t,” Aomine scoffed. 

“Yes he did.” 

“I’m the adult here.” 

“I live here.” 

“He’s known me longer.” 

“And that means he likes you more?” 

“Oh yeah he’s _so_ charmed by that shitty eyeliner, you’re right.” Aomine looked away from the tv, “And I’m a damn officer of the law, so _I’m_ watching _you_.” 

“That’s not some get out jail free card!” Sousuke squawked. 

“I’m in charge, I make the cards,” Aomine said, turning back to the tv, it was currently on animal planet. And some old guy with an extremely soothing british voice was talking about cuttlefish. 

Sousuke didn’t say anything, just folded his arms and looked at the tv as it showed a cool shot of a coral reef. 

The room was completely silent except for the animal planet narrator. 

And man, cuttlefish would totally take over the world if they lived for longer than a year. 

Then a commercial break for a square frying pan came on. Seriously, the things advertisers thought people would buy. 

“So, uh,” Aomine started to talk, “How’s shit with your little study buddy?” 

“He’d dating someone,” Sousuke said. 

“That’s a tough break,” Aomine said.

“A girl,” Sousuke added. He heard Aomine snort. Sousuke whipped his head to the side to glare over at the older guy. Aomine was still focused on the tv, all relaxed and spread out on his side of the sofa. 

“What?” Sousuke spat. Aomine only smiled, or smirked really. 

_“What?”_ Sousuke asked again, “What is it? What’s so funny?” 

“That you think that that fucking matters,” Aomine said, he tilted his head back to rest it on the back of the sofa, “And now you’re gonna just mope and write shitty poetry now.” 

“I don’t write fucking poetry,” Sousuke said. 

Aomine side-eyed him, “Not now, you don’t.” 

“I’m not gonna write poetry over some cute boy,” he snapped, “I’m not that pathetic.” 

“You’re a teenager, of course you are,” Aomine said, he was smiling again. The guy really had an _annoying_ smile. 

“Did _you?”_ Sousuke asked. 

“I didn’t write poetry,” Aomine admitted, “But it was still pretty bad, I used to talk about how _fate_ brought us together.” 

“Oh my god, what were you twelve??” Sousuke asked. 

“16, actually,” Aomine said smoothly, he tilted his head over to Sousuke, “And if I’m honest, I’m still that pathetic.” 

Sousuke laughed, “Great, so how does that help me?” 

“Uhhh,” Aomine said, he lifted his, stretching it across the back of the sofa and drumming his fingers along the leather. 

“It doesn’t,” Aomine admitted, shrugging, “But like, I dunno, don’t be an asshole and try to break them up,” Aomine hummed to himself, he looked back up at the ceiling. 

Then his head snapped up off the back of the sofa and his hands clapped together, one open and one in a fist. 

“I’ve got it,” he said, then he turned to Sousuke, his dark blue eyes were glowing, “If you get in shape, you’ll be okay-looking-enough to turn him gay.” 

“SHUT UP!” Sousuke yelled, he scooted across the couch and tried to smack Aomine. 

Aomine only laughed as he snatched Sousuke’s hand in time before it hit the bluenette in the head. 

“It’s good advice!” Aomine said, still laughing like the asshole he was. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“So, you play any basketball?” 

“No.” 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Do you like being a detective?” 

“Love it.” 

“Was it hard? Going through the academy and stuff?” 

“Yes it was.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“What’s your favorite color?” 

“That’s such a fucking lame question.” 

“Just answer it you brat.” 

“Uh, green. Yours?” 

“Red.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke and Aomine were sitting on the couch in another long stretch of silence. The room was actually pretty dark, except for the hour long showing of marine life lighting up the room from the tv, the lights in the kitchen and a _little_ bit of light coming from the street lamps outside via the windows. 

Sousuke’s phone buzzed in his lap, adding a little more light to the room. 

Sousuke looked at his latest notification. 

_**[Kagami:** _

_**Door. now.]** _

“Uh--COMING!” Sousuke shouted. He tossed his phone down on the sofa and hopped over the armrest and jogged to the door. 

Sousuke swung the door open. Kagami was standing on the other side, a dozen or so plastic bags hanging on his arms and his cellphone in hand. 

_“Instantaneous,”_ he whispered to himself while shaking his head. Sousuke’s foster parent managed to sound both happy _and_ annoyed. 

Mostly annoyed. 

“Take this,” Kagami said, picking up a plastic bag off the floor and handing it to Sousuke. Sousuke snagged it and quickly hopped out of Kagami’s way and walked into the kitchen. 

“Aomine!” Kagami called out. Sousuke set his bag down on the counter top and looked up just in time to see Aomine practically throw himself over the couch. 

“Yea?” Aomine asked as Kagami walked into the apartment. 

“Take these,” Kagami grunted, holding up his right arm that was full of plastic bags. 

“Gotcha.” 

Aomine grabbed the half dozen bags by the handles and slid them down Kagami’s arm, then he glanced up at Kagami--

And they both froze. Sousuke blinked and suddenly they were five feet away from each other, with Aomine setting his bags on the bar counter and Kagami halfway to the counter space beside the fridge. 

Sousuke raised one thick, dark eyebrow at Aomine as he slowly unpacked his one bag filled with a bag of dinner rolls and five packages of shirataki noodles. 

“Uh, put these away,” Aomine said, sliding a bag of potatoes across the counter. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“Sou, how are the onions?” Kagami asked as he strained the water out of a pot of noodles into the sink. 

“Fine,” he heard Sousuke said. Kagami looked over at the stove top to see Sousuke leaning as far away from the pot as he could get, with the heel of his hand rubbing at his right eye. 

Kagami laughed. And Aomine snorted from where he was sitting at the bar counter with a half empty beer bottle in his hand. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Wait, so I could just up and go to America and you’d be _fine_ with it?” Sousuke asked, it looked like the chunk of carrot between his chopsticks was about to get thrown at Kagami. 

“No! Or, well,” Kagami tried to dig himself out of the hole he was suddenly in, “I lived alone so it was fine.” 

“No it’s _not_ ,” Sousuke said, Kagami chuckled as he watched the kid wrinkled his nose. Kagami was sitting on the left end of the sofa, Aomine was beside him in the middle, and Sousuke was on the floor, sitting cross legged on the opposite side of the coffee table. 

Animal planet, of all things, was playing behind him. 

“You can’t just leave the country without telling anybody,” Sousuke argued, “How were you not kicked off the team??” 

“I wasn’t gone that _long_ ,” Kagami said, looking down at this third bowl of nikujaga. 

“Plus he brought back Playboy bunny as an apology,” Aomine said before popping a bite of potato into his mouth. 

“Alex was my _basketball mentor!_ ” Kagami growled, bumping Aomine’s shoulder with his own. 

“Same difference,” Aomine said with a shrug. He was grinning and that made Kagami _not_ want to grin. But apparently that was impossible. 

“That still isn’t cool,” Sousuke said, “Only crazy people up and run off to other countries without telling anybody. And living alone doesn’t help any.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Here’s your stuff,” Kagami said, placing the pile of folded clothes with a wallet and phone sitting on top onto the coffee table. 

Aomine looked up at him from where he was sitting on the sofa, “Thanks,” he said.

Sousuke had ended up staying on the floor, leaning back against the couch with his long legs stretched out under the coffee table and his phone in hand, with the screen under lighting his face. Kagami stepped over him to sit on the opposite end of the sofa. Then he looked up at the television. 

Then he frowned. 

“Why are you guys watching _Finding Bigfoot?”_

****

###  **➺➺**

“G’nigh, Kagami,” Aomine said, scratching behind his ear as he stood in the hallway just outside the door. He was back in that tan blazer, with that leather messenger bag--this time filled with _his_ stuff--on his shoulder, “Tonight was fun, thanks.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Kagami nodded his head, his hands were awkwardly gripping either side of the doorway, still trying to figure out what the hell to do. 

“G’night,” Kagami said and before he could back out of it, he let go of the doorway and shoved his right hand out in front of Aomine. 

Aomine looked down at Kagami’s hand, blinking his thin blue eyes for a moment before timidly reaching out. But there was nothing timid about the handshake itself. Aomine’s grip was firm, his palm just as rough and calloused as Kagami’s own. Actually, no, it was softer. But that was probably just Aomine compensating or winter dryness. 

Then, once again, Kagami moved before his brain could make his body back out. 

He quickly raised his other arm, wrapping it around Aomine’s broad, jacket covered shoulders. 

Kagami leaned in and held his arm tight on Aomine’s back. The other man was completely frozen in his arms. And then, slowly, Aomine leaned into him, Kagami felt him sigh against his neck, and his hand rest gently on the middle of his back for a moment. 

“Happy to have you back,” Kagami said, he tightened his hold even more for just a moment, before letting go entirely. His hand slid down Aomine’s shoulder as they separated with their hands being the last thing let go. 

“Happy to be back,” Aomine said. There was a slight furrow between his eyebrows as he smiled and his hand slipped out of Kagami’s grasp, “See ya,” Aomine nodded goodbye to him before turning away and walking down the hall. 

“Yeah,” Kagami whispered, “See ya.” 

Kagami stepped back into his apartment and slowly closed the door. 

And it was really hard to subdue the smile that was trying to fight its way onto his face. Even as he turned around to walk back into the living room. 

“Did you guys just bro hug it out in order to forgive and settle your differences?” Sousuke asked as he stood at the opposite end of the entry hall, a cola can in hand. 

“NO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aomine: I didn't write poetry. 
> 
> Hah. h-HAH. 
> 
> lies. 
> 
> ~idi2


	7. Overwhelming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Come over here and overwhelm me ;)"
> 
> ~Jon Bellion~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-ed by fuckup_101 and mitsuhideaoi!!

****

### Two and a half years ago:

 ****

_”What do you want for your birthday?” Kagami asked, there was some action movie on tv but it was mainly just background noise to him at the moment. He couldn't really see over Daiki’s head anyway. It was dark and there was yellow tinted light coming in through the windows._

_Daiki hummed, Kagami felt more then heard the sound from where his arms were wrapped around the other man’s chest._

_They were both lying sideways on their blessedly oversized sofa. It was the only thing they could both fit in like this, besides the bed._

_“New Jordans, I’ve been telling you the kinds I’ve wanted for a month now so if you don’t remember that’s your problem.”_

_“Idiot, you’re supposed to say_ ‘I just want quality time with you, Taiga, _’” Kagami pitched his voice up at the end._

_Daiki laughed, just as explosion number 487 lit up across the screen, Kagami felt the vibrations against his own chest and he smile._

_“I know you’re whipped enough to give me that anyway,” Daiki said. One of his arms moved so that he could rub his hand up and down Taiga’s forearm. Daiki’s hand was warm and so wonderfully familiar. Taiga could go to sleep like this. And he probably would._

_“What else do you want?” Kagami asked. He scooted closer to Daiki, which was apparently possible, and pressed his nose into the crook of Daiki’s neck, just above his dark purple tank top. His skin was so soft, and he smelled fresh after his after work shower, and his hair smelled like that over expensive shampoo that was kinda… beach-y? Or something like that._

_Kagami felt Daiki relax even more in his arms as he exhaled against his neck._

_“Mmm, food.”_

_“I always give you food, dumbass.”_

_“Heh,” Daiki huffed out, “That reminds me,” he said, his hand was still rubbing along Kagami’s arm._

_“I want you to call me pet names all day,” Daiki said. He could feel the bastard smirking._

_“Dumbass is a pet name.”_

_“Hahaa, I want_ cheesy _ones, Taiga,” Daiki started to roll over. Kagami scooted back against the cushions so that Daiki had room. When the moron rolled onto his back, Kagami saw that he was in fact smirking when he really shouldn’t have._

_Daiki’s nose brushed his own at he turned back onto his side, his head lying against the leather sofa, smiling over at him._

_“I wanna wake up next week and you can’t use ‘dumbass’, ‘fuckwad’, ‘jerkface’, ‘asshole’, ‘dick’, or ‘moron’._ or _‘aho’.”_

_Daiki was grinning now. He looked kinda like a cat. A very, very annoying one._

_“How the hell am I supposed to talk to you?” Kagami asked, his eyebrows were furrowing._

_“Mmm, I dunno,” Daiki shrugged, “There’s ‘babe’, and ‘baby’, and ‘honey’, I wouldn’t mind ‘kitten’.”_

_“I’m not callin’ you ‘kitten’,” Kagami growled._

_“Not even for my birthday?” Daiki asked, and he tried to pout but failed because he was too busy smiling._

_“C’mmmmmoonnn,” Daiki said, one of his hands moved to run up and down Kagami’s side, where his green t-shirt had ridden up a little bit._

_Daiki looked at him with those dark blue eyes, he managed to scoot in closer, and his hand slid under Kagami’s shirt, his fingertips lightly massaging into the skin. His face was closer too. Daiki dipped his head down to nuzzle at Kagami’s neck._

_“Stop that, you bastard,” Kagami huffed._

_“Bastard’s off the list too,” Daiki said against his neck, “please?”_

_“God,_ fine _,” Kagami said, his arms draped back around Daiki shoulders, “When we’re alone, I’ll call you that… stuff.”_

_“Oh, you’ve gotta do it when we’re in public too.”_

_“FUCK NO!”_

_“Taiigaaa,” Aomine crooned. Kagami felt lips press against his neck, beginning to mouth at the skin._

_“How about a compromise?” Kagami suggested. The lips froze._

_“I’m listening…”_

_“I call you bro, all day.”_

_Daiki’s head snapped away from his neck and he pushed himself up onto one elbow._

_Then the bluenette gasped._

_“You’re only allowed to call me that when we’re alone!”_

_Kagami scowled._

_“You fucker! C’mere!” Kagami tried to tighten his grip around Daiki’s shoulders as his idiot boyfriend grinned and tried to roll off the couch._

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

The bro hug had changed many, many things. 

 

“Hey,” Aomine said when Sousuke opened the apartment door. The guy was decked out in a little black beanie, black track pants, probably insulated what with the still motherfuckin’ cold Febuary air, and a big ol’ blue hoodie. 

And a basketball. 

“Kagami off work yet?” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Because now Aomine was coming over. A lot. 

 

“Ahh, Kagami, can I use your shower?” Aomine asked from where he was taking up half the sofa, his tie haphazardly undone and jacket on the back of the wonderful piece of leather furniture he was monopolizing. 

“Sure,” Kagami said from the kitchen, where he and Sousuke were just whipping up some spaghetti, nothing special. 

“Get your own towel though,” Kagami added from where he was chopping green pepper. 

****

###  **➺➺**

And he was making himself right at home. 

 

“What'cha makin’?” Aomine asked, leaning over Sousuke’s shoulder at the pot of simmering beef in front of him. Sousuke kinda forgot just _how_ much taller Aomine and Kagami were than him. They both almost towered over him. And it wasn’t cool. 

“Ask Kagami,” Sousuke grunted, stirring the quickly cooking chunks of beef with his spoon. 

“Is it done yet?” Aomine asked, then of all the things to do, he reached his hand out towards the pot. 

“ARE YOU AN IDIOT?” Sousuke screeched, smacking Aomine’s hand with his free one. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Not that he wasn’t helping those who actually lived in the apartment, albeit in his own way. 

 

“Aomine, put those back,” Kagami said from where he was looking at produce behind the shopping cart. Sousuke was holding up a two packages of mushrooms, trying to see which one had more. 

Meanwhile _Aomine_ was pouting, three nine-packs of those little cardboard boxed drinks in his arms. The kind where you took the little straw and stabbed it into the box to drink it but the straw was always too flimsy, so it never worked. 

And they were all--banana milk. Of all the things. 

“They’re edible! Why are you complaining?” Aomine snapped. 

“I’m not buying them,” Kagami said, he folded his arms when he turned away from picking out a head of romaine lettuce. 

“Fine! _I’m_ an adult. have money,” Aomine said, a deep ‘v’ had formed on his forehead and he clutched his apparently beloved drink closer to him, “ _I’ll_ buy them for _me_.” 

“They’re not going in _my_ fridge!” Kagami called out after Aomine turned and sped away. 

****

###  **➺➺**

It was almost uncanny, the way Aomine seeped into their lives. 

 

“Dude, the Kamakura period ended in 1333, get your notes right,” Aomine said from behind Sousuke. Who was currently leaning back against the couch with his history work spread out across the coffee table. 

Sousuke hunkered closer to his notebook. 

“No it didn’t,” he grunted. 

“Look it up, moron,” Aomine said from where he was stretched out across the sofa, remote in hand. 

****

###  **➺➺**

And that was why when Sousuke was eating his morning cereal, he didn’t have a sofa to sit on. 

 

Sousuke was crunching on some damn good frosted flakes and standing over Aomine’s sprawled out form. He was lying on his stomach and taking up the entire couch. With a blanket that looked like it’d been thrown on him and his head jammed into a pillow. 

And he was snoring, not as bad as he’d heard from Kagami’s room some mornings, but still. Snoring all the same, and it was enough to make Sousuke wish he were wearing the gray headphones that were hanging around his neck, blasting some nice angsty screams. 

Sousuke sighed in defeat and turned around to go sit at the bar counter. Once he got there, he slipped his headphones back onto his ears and scrolled through his phone looking for the right song. Thinking about stuff as he did

For the past..… two... weeks--two and a half weeks--Aomine had become a larger part of Sousuke’s and Kagami’s routine. 

He wasn’t over _every_ day, but it sure _seemed_ like it. 

Post-bro-hug--or, let’s say PBH, like BC or whatever?--Aomine would _appear_ at the door and Kagami would keep letting him in. And things were--cool. Kagami’s apartment was closer to Aomine’s station and the guy came over a lot and complained about how he was still apartment hunting so he’d use the shower, maybe Kagami would convince him to stay and eat. And yeah. 

And Sousuke saw that Aomine was… kinda a cool guy? 

He wasn’t _that_ much of an asshole. He was funny, overall a chill guy and it was obvious that Kagami was happy to have an old friend back. 

It was like the two shared a brain sometimes. Which would actually explain a lot, the fact that their was only one brain between them. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke had finished eating breakfast and was perusing through his tee shirts. He was between just a plain royal blue shirt for once, or Over the Horizon. 

It was a toss up, so he just reached in and happened to grab the blue one. It was still pretty dim outside. And still early so Sousuke’s room was almost silent. All but for the sound of the shower in the next room. When Sousuke had been putting his bowl in the dishwasher, Kagami had finally emerged from his room to practically kick Aomine off the sofa then roll him into the bathroom. 

Aomine did _not_ seem like a morning kinda guy. 

Sousuke was just slipping the tee shirt over his head and thinking about where he last put his belt and whether or not Kagami would notice he was wearing jeans when he heard it. 

_“T-ahn-Taiga--”_

Sousuke looked up over his dresser and stared at the blue painted wall. His eyes bulged out of his head so much he thought they were gonna fall out. 

“Okay, uh _shit_ ,” he whispered to himself, “Shiiiit, just get dressed, get to school, you didn’t hear anything.” 

_“Mn, there--”_

“Shhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiit--!!” 

He repeated that phrase in his head the entire morning. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke almost ran over Kagami as the kid rushed from his room to the front door. Kagami almost thought the beanie was gonna fly off his head. 

Kagami rubbed at his eyes, a big, brick red mug of coffee in his hand. 

By some fucking miracle he didn’t work today. Today! A _Thursday!_ It was a godsend. 

“Hey, Kagami,” Aomine called out from the bathroom, the door was just opening and the bluenette stumbled out just a little more alive than when he went in. 

“Can I borrow a tee shirt? Think I forgot one,” Aomine asked when he walked out into the hallway, a blue button up in his hands, gray slacks and a small towel around his neck. 

And not much else. 

The realization that Kagami hadn’t seen Aomine shirtless in two years hit him like a freight train. 

Because _wow_. It was weird to look at something and at first think _‘it hasn’t changed at all’_ then stare for a minute and see it’s changed _so much._

At first all that passed through Kagami’s brain was _‘oh, he’s just as built as usual’_ but no. Ohh no. The past two years had changed Aomine. He was still distinctly leaner then Kagami, but he’d bulked up a bit more, undoubtedly. His chest was fuller, his arms more defined, accentuating his already unfairly narrow waist. 

His hips were the same though, weird how that was something Kagami distinctly remembered, the almost jagged cut those bones gave his frame. 

Overall, nothing drastic, then he turned to face Kagami, the shirt he was holding in front of him dropped to hang in one hand. 

“You finished it.” 

Aomine looked up at him, his eyebrow raising questioningly. Then Aomine looked down at himself and his lips parted in a little _‘o’_. 

“Yeah,” Aomine said, breaking out into a small smile. That smile hadn’t changed. Another weird thing Kagami remembered. 

“I got it done about a year ago,” Aomine said, “Though, I might get more added, who knows…” Aomine shrugged and walked into the living room. 

But Kagami was too busy staring. 

They’d only been a pair of eyes for a full year, sharp splotches of yellow-green that Kagami remembered tracing with his finger some mornings, his tongue others. 

Now, it was a face. Or part of one. The black made it look bold, but the more Kagami looked the more he saw the delicate work of the whiskers, subtle shadows, and the absence of ink made up the cat’s face as much as the ink that was there did. 

The face of the panther faded out at the edges, it was blotchy, and a-symmetrical. 

And it was fucking beautiful. 

The way the black stood out, even against Daiki’s already dark, dark skin, the white highlights in the eyes that seemed to glow with all the contrast. 

Then someone snapped a finger in front of his face. 

“Oi, Kagami,” Aomine said, staring at Kagami who quickly snapped his head up to look at the other man’s face. 

“You got that shirt?” 

“You gonna give it back?” Kagami asked. 

Aomine smirked. 

“When have I _not_ given something back?” 

“All the fucking time.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke was still pretty out of it when he flopped down into his desk. Sousuke looked down at the face of his desk, the square section of wood that had a weird layer of stuff that protected the wood. The promptly dropped his forehead onto it. 

And groaned. In pure, unadulterated agony. 

_“Fuuuuuuuuck.”_

“S-Sousuke?” 

Sousuke turned his head to lie on his left cheek and looked up. 

Makoto was turned around in his seat, staring at him, pretty green eyes worried. 

_Great._

Sousuke was already at his wits end--or uh--feeling completely and utterly fucked over by life. And reminding him of the romantic not-even-attempt-but-he-still-failed-at-thing that was Tachibana Makoto wasn’t helping. 

Sousuke had acted pretty normal the past couple weeks. He’d just glued himself to Rin like always. And complained about how Aomine was drinking all of their milk now and trying to _not_ think about stupid, perfect Makoto and his probably pretty as fuck girlfriend. 

“Are you alright, Sousuke?” 

“Long morning,” he grunted, lifting his head up off the desk only to rest it on his palm. 

“Oh,” Makoto said, “Well, I hope you feel better,” Makoto smiled at him before turning away. 

Sousuke just _sighed_. He just had too many things to think about at the moment. 

Toooo many things. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke had made his own bento this morning, but he still had two seeing as how Rin was expecting to be fed too. 

And so, like always, Rin sat at Makoto’s desk turned around to face Sousuke and explain Sousuke’s own life to him. 

“So you heard…?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And you think…?” 

“Well _what else_ is there to think?” 

“Well,” Rin started, and he took a moment to eat whatever the hell he decided to eat out of the bento Sousuke made for him, “Fuck.” 

“You’re not helping,” Sousuke gritted out. 

“Wh’ sahs ‘m thhyn th?” Rin asked, raising an eyebrow and also stuffing his face with rice. 

“You’re a moron,” Sousuke grunted. 

Then they fell into the only kind of silence that wasn’t awkward. The eating with a person you’ve known since you were four silence.

“H-Haru--! Just wait a minute? Please??” 

The whole class turned towards the doorway. 

And Sousuke saw one of the most ominous things… it was actually hard to describe. 

There was a boy standing the the doorway to their classroom, now, usually that was nothing odd. But this guy seemed--off. Something about him made a sense of pure annoyance wash over Sousuke. 

The guy was short, in the school uniform with his tie kinda loose. And his hair looked like it’d been combed all of nine seconds ago by fairies. 

He was pale, and scanning the room with shiny blue eyes. 

Then his eyes landed on Sousuke. 

And stopped. 

“Haru!” another voice--an extremely familiar voice with an unfamiliar level of _maternal essence_ added to it--rang out behind the Mr. Boy Band Hair. 

Then, towering over the pocket-sized Pantene commercial was _Makoto_ of all people. Looking very exasperated. 

“Haru, stop, you don’t need to do this, _really_ , it’s fine,” the brunette continued, grabbing _‘Haru’s_ shoulder. 

Then Sousuke’s eyes almost fell out of his head for a second time that day. 

_“Haru?”_ Sousuke gasped, and he turned to Rin, who was looking at him with his own expression of pure disbelief. 

And then, this _‘Haru’_ did what was probably not the best decision, if someone were to ask Sousuke seven minutes from now. He walked over to Sousuke and Rin. 

Makoto trailed along after him. The rest of the class had lost interest, turning back to their little friend circles and food. 

“Haru,” Makoto continued as his tiny buddy stopped in front of Sousuke’s desk, “Haru why don’t we finish lunch? How about we just--?” 

“Stop making Makoto worry,” the Haru guy said suddenly. His voice sounded fucking emotionless and that only made it creepier. 

“And you are you exactly?” Sousuke asked, he leaned back in his seat and subconsciously fiddled with a little hoop in his right ear. 

_“Haru-chan?”_ Sousuke asked. And if resentment was a smell, Sousuke would be _reeking_ of it. 

“Nanase,” the guy--Nanase--said, still glaring. 

_“Sousuke-kun?”_ Nanase asked, lifting his own eyebrow as he looked down at him. 

“Yamazaki,” Sousuke grunted. He folded his arms, and tried to glare at the guy because he was new… and looked like a prissy little ass… and not because he’d just discovered his crush was _actually gay_. He was just into guys that were _nothing like him._ Makoto got off to tiny and void of emotion pretty boys with stoner eyes. 

_C’mon, Sou, hold it together, listen to Adele when you’re home alone on the sofa, dammit._

“Oh goodness,” Makoto said, he ran a hand through his hair before stepping in between the staring contest that Sousuke and Nanase that had started without them realizing. 

“Okay, well,” Makoto said. He smiled but he still looked _soooo tired_. Luckily those feelings seemed to directed at his boyfriend, not Sousuke. 

And he no, he was _not_ gonna cry inside about the fact that those things weren’t synonyms. 

“This is my best friend, Nanase Haruka,” Makoto said, placing a hand back onto his friend's shoulder. 

Sousuke was _seriously_ gonna have two empty eye sockets by the end of the day. No doubt. 

“B-B _est_ friend?” Sousuke sputtered, he shot a desperate look at Rin. But Rin was just staring at the two guys in front of them. 

“Y-yeah? Haru and I have been friends since we were kids. He's like a brother almost. Remember that neighbor I mentioned lives down the hall from me?” Makoto asked, giving Sousuke another bright smile, “Well, that's Haru.” 

Sousuke nodded his head slowly in understanding. Then he looked over at Nanase again. Because _OH my oh god OH my goodness._ Makoto was _single!_

Then he met Nanase’s eyes, those blank looking blue stormy(?) eyes.

And uh. Single might not mean thou shalt not be brutally murdered if yee tries any of thy shit. 

****

###  **➺➺**

It was the end of the day and Sousuke was still mulling things over in his mind. 

He was standing outside the classroom doors, waiting for Rin to finish cleaning up all his things. Makoto had already vanished to go get Nanase. 

Nanase. 

What a weird fucker. 

Sousuke lolled his head over to the side and looked back into the classroom. 

“ _Rin_ ,” he called to the slow-ass guy he had for a friend. 

“Coming! Moron!” Rin snapped back as he threw his messenger bag over one shoulder. 

“C’mon,” the redhead continued, snagging Sousuke by the sleeve as he sped-walked through the doorway. 

“Don’t get mad at me,” Sousuke grumbled, shaking his arm out of Rin’s grip, “S’not my fault you’re being slow,” he continued, weaving through people to follow his friend in the sea of blue jackets and white blouses. 

Rin just kept walking, his beanie covered head was trying to stretch above the crown, and when they made it to the stairwell, he practically jumped past them down to the next landing. 

“Rin!” Sousuke called out, trying to not to run into people. Which was a lot harder for him then it was for his skinny little friend. Sosuke was a lot bigger then a lot of third years. The only person he quite literally had to _look up to_ on a daily basis was Kagami. And Aomine. More and more Aomine was starting to carve his own place into Sousuke’s daily basis. 

Sousuke was skipping steps--which was quite the adventure going _down_ , gotta tell ya--and trying to keep track of the black beanie all the while. 

This would’ve been a _lot_ easier if Rin had worn that shark beanie Gou had gotten him a few christmas’s ago. The type where it looked like it was eating your head, but in a cute, cartoony way, y’know?

Sousuke made it to the first floor of the school and scanned the crowd. The door were wide open and all the kids were filing out as fast as they could, unless they had sports or clubs or shit like that. 

Sousuke hadn’t been in a club since elementary school. 

He sighed and slumped in shoulders forward in annoyance to the redheaded annoyance who wasn’t there to receive his first hand annoyed feelings. 

_Then he spotted him._

Sousuke dodged and weaved his way through the crowd. He really needed to ask Kagami for tips on how to function as a super-sized guy in Japanese society one a these days… and not be an asshole. 

Maybe Kagami wasn’t the best person to ask? 

But back to the task at hand! Rin was just outside the school door, walking backward on his chunky black boots on his way to the gates. 

Why backwards, might you ask? 

So that he could talk to Makoto and Nanase, of course. 

Now Sousuke had even more of a reason to be annoyed. And that annoyance was able to fuel his getting-over-to-his-stupid-friend-faster-program. And that meant that half a minute later Sousuke had disregarded not bumping into people and he clipped Nanase with his shoulder on his way to immobilise and possibly paralyze Rin. 

“Oi!” Sousuke snapped, snagging his friend by the messenger bag and yanking him to a stop. 

“Watch it! Don’t break the strap!” Rin whined, scowling at him. 

“You’re lucky I don’t just drag you off by that fucking _lip ring_ ,” Sousuke hissed. 

“So Haruka!” Rin said, leaning so that he could see past Sousuke. Oh, yeah, cause there were _other people_ behind Sousuke. 

Sousuke quickly spun around. And they must’ve looked like quite the pair, two guys in wrinkled jackets, bits of shiny things in their ears, Rin’s beanie and Sousuke’s mustered up hair. Rin had even cut tears into the knees of his khakis. 

“Don’t add the _‘ka’_ ,” Nanase said to Rin. It would’ve sounded venomous, had it had any emotion at all. 

Makoto was standing beside the husk of a human being he called a close friend and staring at Rin and Sousuke with slight confusion in those green eyes of his. Sousuke shot him a quick smile. It was probably five times more awkward looking as it felt. 

Then, the events that happened after that were not things Sousuke was expecting. 

“Haru, then?” Rin said, his scarp teeth were shining with his bright grin. Rin walked over to Nanase, put his arm around the other guy’s shoulder, managed to not get vaporized by the look those blank-blue eyes gave him and started dragging his new non-mutual buddy past Sousuke and towards the school gates. 

“So what are your hobbies?” Rin asked when he walked by Sousuke, completely disregarding both his confused look and years of friendship as he walked. 

Sousuke didn’t hear Nanase’s response. No doubt there would’ve been something-- _ominous_ about it. 

That, or he was really into hair care. 

“Uhm?” was all Sousuke managed to say, he looked over his shoulder to see Rin’s beanie covered head and Nanase’s unnaturally shiny one walk towards the gates with the rest of the student body. Meanwhile he and Makoto were standing in the middle of the walkway like morons. 

“I think we just got ditched,” Sousuke said, he fiddled with one of the little hoops on his left ear. 

“I-I think so,” Makoto agreed, looking kinda… shocked. 

“What is it?” Sousuke asked. 

“Well,” Makoto said, “I usually take a detour around the park near here, because you know that creek they have?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Haru likes to… swim in it.” 

“Huh.” 

“Yeah.” 

“I can text Rin about it.” 

“That’d be nice.” 

“Rin sucks about reading messages, though.” 

“Uh oh.” 

_Silence._

“Uh,” Sousuke coughed into his hand, trying to ignore the looks some students shot them for just standing in the sidewalk. Plus both he and Makoto were tall. So they were even more in the way. 

“Do you want to walk home together, Sousuke?” Makoto asked. 

“Uh.” 

Sousuke had no idea what the fuck to do. 

Then he came to two entirely separate realizations. 

Realization one: Quality time with Makoto. SINGLE Makoto with no creepy neighbor friend around. 

Realization two: Rin wasn’t there to walk him home so he was screwed and apart from walking with Makoto his only option was to call Kagami. Again. And get mocked. 

Again. 

“Yeah, sure,” Sousuke said quickly. 

Makoto smiled at him. 

Oh yeah, that was the correct decision right there. 

****

###  **➺➺**

They’d reached Sousuke’s building. Sousuke had messaged Rin about Nanase’s apparent water fetish a few blocks back and now they were simply standing at the door to Sousuke’s building. 

“Soo…” Sousuke said slowly, his hands in his pockets and looking down at the sidewalk. 

“You wanna come up and see if your friend’s on the local news yet?” 

“Sure!” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke turned his key in the door knob with a click. He shot Makoto an awkward smile who smiled back just as slightly uncomfortably as he fiddled with his backpack strap. 

Sousuke opened the door and slipped inside with Makoto following after. 

As Sousuke toed off his boots he realized… it was dark. 

“Kagami?” 

“Everything okay?” Makoto asked as he leaned against the the wall to unlace his shoes. 

“Uh, yeah?” Sousuke muttered and he shrugged off both his backpack and jacket at the same time. He flicked on the lights in the living room and rested his back on the back of the sofa and his jacket across the top of it.

“Kagami?” Sousuke said again, looking around the living room, then the empty kitchen. 

“Kagami?” he said he walked down the hall and lightly pushed open Kagami's bedroom door. 

Empty. 

“Dude?” Sousuke turned around to knock on the bathroom door. 

He looked over at Makoto who was standing in the living room. Looking like he had no clue where to go. While also loosening his school tie.

“Is… Kagami-san… at work?” Makoto asked. 

“Uh, I'll call and see,” Sousuke said, still standing in the hallway he pulled out his phone and clicked around his contacts for a minute. 

Sousuke held his phone to his ear as the first dial-tone rang. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami was panting hard, his shoulders were loose and the ball bounced between his palm and the cement. It wasn’t _too_ cold yet on the old outdoor court he’d always used since forever ago. 

“You gonna hurry this shit up?” Aomine asked, with his breath puffing back against Kagami’s neck. 

“Shut up.” 

Kagami glanced to the right for a moment, trying to see which way to break. The ball slapped back up into his hand just as he spun on his left foot, twisting so head or the basket with Aomine now beside him. 

“That speeding things up?” Kagami asked as he ducked past Aomine’s stretched out arm and sprinted for the basket. 

Their feet thudded in unequal time and the ball drummed on the ground and right at Kagami got close enough to the basket to jump--which was still, y’know, a ways--

 _*RRIIIIiinnnNG*_

Kagami froze on one foot, the ball extended in front of him. Half a second later the ball was out of his hand and in Aomine’s as the bluenette almost instinctively jumped up and slammed the ball into the hoop. 

“Oi, Kagami, where’re you goin’? Running away in fear?” Kagami heard Aomine say from behind him after spinning around to look at his workout bag. 

“Oh shut up, asshole,” Kagami said with a wave over his shoulder as he walked over to the old wooden bench where his worn red duffle bag was sitting in a big clump. 

And there was a ringing coming out of it. A loud one. 

Kagami bent over to unzip his bag, rummaging through it to find his phone. 

_“Sweet Jesus.”_

Kagami whipped his head over his shoulder to look at Aomine who was halfway between the benches and the basket with the basketball he’d brought under his shoulder. 

“You good?” Kagami asked. 

Aomine’s eyes flicked up to look at him. 

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” he said, nodding. 

Kagami managed to grab his phone and looked down at the screen. 

_[Incoming call from: Sousuke]_

Kagami quickly swiped the answer button. 

“Everything okay?” he said into the receiver. 

_“Uhh… where are you?”_ Sousuke asked. 

Kagami turned around away from the bench as he answered, wiping a little sweat from his forehead with his free hand, “I’m at the court with Aomine.” 

_“Aomine?”_ Sousuke said, he sounded… weird. Startled? Almost?

“Yeah. Who else would I be with?” Kagami asked, just as Aomine walked all the way over to him. 

_“Uh, okay. Everything cool?”_ Sousuke said. And Kagami frowned. 

“Yeahh… we’re cool. Sou is something up because--?” 

“Oi! Kagami c’mon! Let’s get back to playing!” Aomine whined from beside him, reaching out a blue-tee shirt sleeved arm out towards his phone. 

“Stop it!” Kagami snapped, batting Aomine’s hand away. 

_“Stop what?”_ Sousuke asked. 

“Not, you--Oi! Let go fuckwad!” Kagami growled when Aomine grabbed the wrist of the arm that had his phone. 

“Stop what?” Aomine asked, smiling at him. 

Kagami took his other hand and shoved it into Aomine’s face, keeping him at arm's length. 

“MGH!! LMmhh THHffhhGHH!” 

“So, Sou,” he continued, holding onto his moronic buddy’s face, “You cool being home alone for a bit?” 

_“--ko I’m telling you it’s fine--Oh! Yeah, yeah totally fine. Just wanted to know where you were.”_

“Well, thanks. You gonna be able to handle dinner?” Kagami asked. And that’s when he felt it--something warm and wet and--

“YOU FUCKER!” Kagami said twisting his head around to glare at Aomine who was grinning like the ass he was behind Kagami’s hand. 

“DID YOU JUST LICK MY HAND?” 

The response was another swipe and a muffled laugh. 

“You _moron!_ ” Kagami made a gagging sound as he whipped his hand away from Aomine’s face. 

“HAHAAHA! Your face! Oh my fucking god--!”

“Shut up!!”

 _“Kagami?”_

“Oh, shit, right--So Sousuke I'll see you later tonight okay? You gonna get dinner okay? There _might_ be left overs but i dunno might not? But I did just go shopping and you could try out curr--”

And suddenly the phone was no longer in his hand. 

“Aomine!” Kagami growled, spinning around to see Aomine standing behind him with the phone to his ear and a grin on his face. 

“Okay Zaki,” Aomine started, shoving his arm out to keep Kagami at a distance as he talked, and hopping back every time Kagami inched forward. 

“Be good! Make sure to clean up after you're done jerking it byeeee!” he said before swiping the call to its conclusion. 

_“Aomine!!! Give me my damn phone!”_

“Come and get it,” Aomine snickered, holding his arm up over his head and waving the phone. 

“You shit head!” 

“The one and only.” 

Kagami stepped closer to Aomine only for the bastard to back away right before he could snatch the phone. 

“Aho--!!”

He grabbed for it again and missed. 

Aomine smirked down at him, “C’mon Kagami~ ask nicely~”

“Fuck you.” 

“Close…. But not what I was looking for--”

Kagami snarled, “Gimmie my phone--!” Kagami jumped up, and, of course, no two goddamn centimeters could save Aomine then. 

“Ow ow ow! Fuck! Leggo!” Aomine whined when Kagami grabbed his hand and _squeezed._

“Gimme the damn phone.” 

“Fuck you,” Aomine said, eyes narrowed. Kagami’s grip tightened when he yanked Aomine’s arm down, _“Owowow okay fine.”_

Kagami smirked and snatched back his phone, meanwhile Aomine was pouting over his hand. 

“That hurt you bastard,” Aomine said, glaring at him and holding his hand just below his stuck out lip. 

“Stop it, it did not,” Kagami rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah huh!” 

“Nuh huh-- _oh fuck I can’t believe you made me do that!_ ” 

Aomine’s face lit up for a second before the stupid fake pout was back again, and then oh and then something even worse happened, the already frigged February air got an extra chill to it. And Aomine smirked. 

“Kiss it better…” he said, hold up his hand and its abused finger. 

The middle one. 

“I’ll gonna bite it in half you shit.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

At some point during the somewhere between and dozen and a million games the two of them played as the sun started to set and it started to get unbearably cold for two guys in nothing but some athletic tights and basketball shorts and some long sleeved tees. 

Somewhere in there, out of the hundreds of dunks and the nth formless shot Aomine made, Kagami came back to a realization he’d made ten years ago. 

It was never… over. 

He’d always be there to take Aomine on. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

After Sousuke had found out that he had the apartment to himself, with Makoto. Things had been. Fine? 

Yeah, fine had been a good way of putting it, such as right now, they were on the couch with the tv as background noise swapping _‘my idiot best friend’_ stories. 

“And--And--Ghaha, oh man--anyway one time Haru actually tried to crawl into one of those pools at the aquarium full of sea cucumbers and horseshoe crabs for the little kids to pet! And he actually got halfway in before anybody tried to stop him!” 

“Oh my _god,_ ” Sousuke, holding a hand to the side of his head. The two of them were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, Sousuke had his legs stretched out, in only his jeans and a tee shirt, while Makoto was in his khakis and the white tee he’d had under his school button down. 

“So were you guys like… eight when that happened?” Sousuke asked. 

“No this was a school field trip from last year,” Makoto said. 

“Holy shit,” Sousuke said, eyes wide, “Well, I think I can beat that.” 

Makoto raised an eyebrow. 

“How…?” 

“Rin can’t watch Beauty and the Beast because he cries every time Chip comes on screen.” 

“Holy shit yeah, that’s a winner.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“So, Sousuke,” Makoto said as he stretched his arms over his head, they’d gotten caught up in watching this sci fi movie on tv. Y’know when you just so happen to find a movie just starting on tv and you have to watch it because you always catch the movie halfway through or a third to the end? That was happening now. 

Or, Makoto was watching it, and Sousuke was watching his phone screen desperately awaiting a text back. 

“Uh, do you want to order something for dinner? Do you wanna split the bill? I have a little money so--” 

Sousuke snapped his head up from his screen. 

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna take care of dinner,” Sousuke said just as a lil’ spaceship exploded on screen. It was starting to get dark outside. Soon only street lamps would be shining through the living room windows. 

“You getting hungry?” Sousuke asked, while trying to subtly write out another message on his phone. 

_**[if u dont kno his fav food ask Nanase! Txt back asap]** _

“A little, but do you already have some leftovers maybe?” Makoto asked. 

Sousuke looked up and opened his mouth to say something. Then he felt something vibrate against his wrist. 

And when he clicked on the screen he saw it: 

_**[Sharkboi:** _

_**Green curry]** _

Sousuke jumped to his feet. 

“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.” 

Makoto cocked his head to the side as Sousuke walked out of the living room and towards the kitchen. 

“Sou…?” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Okay… okay shit.. Fuck so it’s how much ginger?” Sousuke mumbled to himself, with said root in hand and a small knife ready on the cutting board. 

“Sousuke?” Makoto called out from just outside the kitchen, or kinda in the kitchen because he was standing with his elbows resting on the bar counter, “What… are you doing?” 

“Making dinner,” Sousuke said with a shrug, and now that he had an audience tried to look like he wasn’t about to explode because he couldn’t remember how much ginger there was and his phone was on the other side of the room. 

So he just started chopping, he was only preparing things at this stage anyway. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke was no longer in the preparing stage. 

He was in the _oh shit this better not burn_ stage as he mixed in the last of the spices and and the cream into the saucepan. Now, he had to admit, whatever he was making, it _smelled_ fantastic. Hearty, and just yummy and it made Sousuke realize _really_ quickly that he was pretty much starving. 

Which was why he was trying to cook this curry as fast as possible without burning it. Because any option that got him food faster was a good one. And seeing as how Makoto had wandered in and out of the kitchen at least five times in the last half hour meant he was probably a bit hungry too. 

Sousuke wiped a bit of pepper that had stuck to his thumb on the blue apron he was borrowing from Kagami. It was officially dark outside. And once again Sousuke heard Makoto’s footsteps coming back towards the kitchen. 

“Do you need any help, Sousuke?” Makoto asked, just like every other time he’d come over, stayed for a bit, then ran away again to the sofa only to come right back. 

“Uhh, this time, yes, actually,” Sousuke said as he continued to stir, “Can you get out bowls?” 

All of one second later Makoto was opening up the pantries in search of dinner bowls. 

“Left of the microwave,” Sousuke said, snorting at the way Makoto practically _jumped_ over to the correct spot. 

“Do these work?” Makoto asked, holding up two medium sized blue bowls with thin white stripes around the rim. 

“Perfect,” Sousuke said, then he set down the wooden spoon in his hand on the counter and stepped over to the rice cooker. 

“Now, quick question,” Sousuke said, trying really hard not to smile as he opened the cooker and snatched up a clean spoon out of the jar of them Kagami had on the counter to serve out rice. 

“Yes?” Makoto asked, holding out the bowls pretty darn eagerly. 

“Do you like green curry?” 

Makoto gasped. 

And when Sousuke looked at the thousand megawatt smile Makoto was directing at him, he almost served the first spoonful of rice to the floor. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Sousuke this is just so delicious!” Makoto exclaimed, sitting criss-cross in front of the coffee table in the living room beside him, hunched over his second bowl of curry and positively _glowing_. 

And Sousuke felt pretty excited about all the attention. It was nice, y’know, when a really pretty boy with a fantastic smile and heart of gold devoted all his attention to you and kept saying--

“Just thank _you_ Sousuke!” Makoto said, for who knows how many-ith time, not that Sousuke minded. He could hear those words _all_ day. 

“You’re welcome,” Sousuke said, laughing a bit, “Also if there are any leftovers, feel free to take them home.” 

Makoto’s back straightened and he looked over at Sousuke as if he’d given him a direct map to the fountain of youth and not half a pot of curry. 

“Really?” Makoto asked, “I just _know_ Ren and Ran would love this. And my mom would love to know what kind of recipe you used, because this tastes pretty different from hers but it’s still _so good_.” 

The brunette stopped to eat about seven bites more of curry, which took a frighteningly short amount of time, before talking again. 

“You should come over! We can hang out at Haru’s house and then his kitchen won’t just smell like mackerel for once.” 

“Uh…” Sousuke swallowed the bite of rice in his mouth, “I mean sure… but I don't know if it would go smoothly. Nanase doesn't seem to like me that much.” 

“Haha… Haru’s pretty standoffish,” then Makoto’s eyes crinkled, “But that doesn't matter because I like you!” 

Sousuke almost dropped his bowl. 

“Wh-what?” 

Makoto looked up at him from where he was leaning back against the couch, his cheeks puffing out a little from the sheer amount of food he was spooning into his mouth. 

Makoto blinked at him, chewing slowly and swallowing. Sousuke just stared back because… _what_. And then. 

His eyes widened. His entire face started to heat up, starting at the collar of his white tee and _up_ across his entire face. It looked like a cartoon, that the color would reach the top of Makoto’s head and steam would puff up out of his hair. 

“I-I-I-I uh--I just meant that you’re my friend and that even if Haru doesn’t like you we can have fun and I’d wanna hang out more--ah uh,” Makoto blinked and tore his eyes away from Sousuke, looking down at his bowel, “Unless you don’t want to… you have Rin so you’re probably busy a lot. But yeah, it’d be nice to hang out. As--fr..ah uhm.” 

Makoto cut himself off with another bite of chicken. 

And it was as if Sousuke was just smacked over the head with a stick. 

“I like you too, though.” 

Makoto’s face snapped up to stare at him. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“I think I'm gonna cry…” Kagami said, placing a hand to his chest as the door chime sounded. 

“Me too…” Aomine turned to him before they walked over to the counter to order. Warm, orange light was shining in his eyes. 

The place was warm and it smelled as inviting as it always had. Aomine and Kagami approached the counter with the correct level of respectful silence. 

There weren’t any lines, amazingly, at one register and Kagami quickly said;

“Twenty five burgers and a large fries and a coke.”

The Maji cashier's eyes widened.

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

The silence was long and awkward, and Sousuke’s hands were clenching into his jeans, having put his bowl on the coffee table. 

Makoto had set his food down too. And they… weren’t quite looking at each other. 

“Do you… wanna sit on the couch for a bit?” Sousuke suggested. Makoto’s eyes flicked over at him, and even through his honey tan skin his blush was still _really_ obvious. And that meant Sousuke must look like a fire truck… or worse… Kagami’s hair. 

Instead of answering, Makoto just scrambled to his feet and instantly scooted back onto the sofa. Sitting on the very right end of it. Leaving Sousuke to sit back on the left leg, trying to ignore how his right leg was a little asleep. 

“So you--?” Makoto asked, but didn’t elaborate. Not that he needed to… what else could he be talking about? 

_Well, no use backing out now._

“Yeah… for a while,” Sousuke said, and for some reason, even though Makoto couldn’t look at Sousuke straight, Sou himself couldn’t tear his eyes away from the other boy, “For a long while now.” 

“A _while?_ ” Makoto asked, his head whipping over to look at Sousuke, this time staying that way, “What’s a while?” 

“Like…” Sousuke shrugged, “The first day I was in class.” 

“ _What?_ ” Makoto asked, and a hand slapped over the right side of his face. 

Sousuke scowled, “Well _yeah_ , why do you sound so surprised?” 

“Because you’re _you!_ ” Makoto said, pulling his hand away from his face and gesturing his arms at Sousuke. 

“What the fuck does that mean?” Sousuke asked, and he scooted a bit closer to Makoto’s end of the couch. 

“It means that--that-- _well--!”_

_“Well?”_

Makoto turned to face him, and he looked absolutely _exasperated._

“Well _you’re_ not the one who--who cooks a really, _really_ good dinner and then is all cute with your childhood stories and then you go and _confess--!”_

“You confessed first!” Sousuke said, pointing a finger at Makoto. 

“I didn’t mean to!” he said, raising his arms a bit. Then he froze. Again. With his arms still in that dumb placement. And Sousuke froze too, still pointing at Makoto. 

“I-uh-uhm,” Makoto sputtered. Sousuke slowly lowered his hand, then he scooted closer on the couch, again, with the tv and the kitchen lights and the street lamps outside being the only lighting to show the bright color on Makoto’s face and the way his green eyes shimmered. 

“So,” Sousuke started, still leaning closer. His heart was jackhammering in his chest because he _still_ hadn’t gotten a straight answer to things and for all he knew Makoto didn’t actually, really, _truly_ like him and he was confused by the entire conversation. 

“You like me?” Sousuke asked, his face about a foot away from Makoto’s now. 

“Y-Yes,” Makoto bit his lip and god Sousuke wanted to do that too. 

“And I like you?”

Makoto frowned, “Aren’t _you_ supposed to answer that--mhp?” 

Sousuke pressed his lips gently against Makoto’s. They were soft and fuller than his own and he could smell green curry on them but that wasn’t _bad_. Sousuke stared at Makoto’s eyes and Makoto stared right back. He looked absolutely in shock. 

Sousuke pulled his lips away with a small smack and an over exaggerated gasp. 

“Be my boyfriend?” he asked, his hand moved on it’s own to cup Makoto’s face. 

“Yes,” Makoto puffed out before diving back at Sousuke’s lips. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“So like Wakamatsu’s staring at me, right?” Aomine explained, his mouth half full of teriyaki burger and his drink in hand. They’d both taken off the giant hoodies they’d put on in order to not free their asses off in the evening February weather, leaving Aomine in just the long sleeved blue tee from before. 

“And of course I don’t get what the fuck a stare means I’m just trying to get this idiot to tell me what the guy who got a ride in his taxi between four am and five looked like and where he was going… The guy _refused_ to admit that he was driving them even though we have the credit card records that _prove_ he did but then I’m just trying to ask when he picked up the guy,” he paused for another bite--bite equaling another half a burger. Meanwhile Kagami was just munching away as he listened. 

“But like I can’t concentrate when Wakamatsu’s boring holes in my head, so I look over and _all_ he does is move his eyebrows around, then does a little nod to the driver.” 

“What the hell does that even mean?” Kagami asked, he scowled as he took another sip of cola. 

“I know right!” Aomine exclaimed, waving his hand in that _‘of course’_ kinda motion, “And so I get back interrogating the guy, asking it he _did_ work that day or if a college drove his car and the guy was all _‘no’_ but still wouldn’t admit he was still taking rides after two. And next thing I know Wakamatsu’s kicking me in the fucking shin! I look over again and all I get is this wide-eyed, annoyed look. And _then_ like the eloquent fucker he is he points at _me_ with his hand under the table and then at _him_. And again, all I can think is… what the ever loving fuck.” 

Aomine once again paused, this time for a drink, “And then five minutes later I get kicked again, and Wakamatsu gives another point at me and clenches his fist then at himself and gives a thumbs up.” 

“What… the… fuck…” 

“I know right!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke pulled Makoto closer by the back of his neck, tilting his head more, doing anything to get them closer together. Sousuke had his body twisted to the side to face Makoto, it wasn’t the most comfortable but he didn’t really care because right now he was _kissing Makoto._

Sousuke worked his lips against the other boy’s savoring the sound of hearing Makoto’s breath catch as he slipped his tongue along the corner of the brunette’s mouth. 

“Mn,” Makoto huffed out, his hands ran from where they were resting in his lap, up Sousuke’s sides, and up further to run through his hair. 

“Hey,” Sousuke whispered, breaking apart for a second. Just a _second_ , “Can we, uh, move around?” 

“Huh?” Makoto asked, cocking his head to the side a little. 

“Just--let me show you, okay?” Sousuke asked, his hand brushed across Makoto’s cheek, almost idly. 

“Sure.” 

Sousuke cracked a nervous little smile. He quickly brought his feet up onto the sofa and turned around to full face Makoto. 

“Now you climb up,” Sousuke said quietly. Makoto nodded and slowly turned and scooted back to place his feet in front of Sousuke. 

“Is it okay if I move you?” Sousuke asked. And _god_ he was nervous. 

“Mhm,” Makoto said, nodding. 

Sousuke breathed out slowly as he reach forward towards Makoto’s bent knees and gently spread them apart. Makoto’s eyes widened and Sousuke felt his legs tense under his palms. 

“I--I’m not gonna do anything,” Sousuke sputtered, “Or, nothing you don’t want, just…” 

“Okay, sorry,” Makoto said, giving Sousuke a tiny smile and relaxing his muscles. 

Sousuke moved Makoto’s leg’s enough to where he could fit between them, then scooted propped himself up on his right arm. Then, he took his other hand and pressed it to Makoto’s white tee shirt clad chest. He felt so warm. Sousuke leaned in close to Makoto’s face, close enough to where those summery green eyes filled his entire vision. 

“Lean back,” Sousuke whispered, giving a light push on Makoto’s chest. Makoto laid himself down instantly, with Sousuke following after him. Half a second later their lips were back together again. Makoto’s hands wandered all over his shoulders to find his hair again. His fingers massaged all over Sousuke’s scalp and he couldn’t hold back a small moan. 

_“Hnnhh,”_ he breathed out against Makoto’s lips. He watched Makoto’s eyes slide shut and he started to kiss him harder, Sousuke’s own eyes wavered to stare at the way Makoto’s brows crinkled with concentration before closing. 

Their mouths rubbed and smacked together, only snaking in tiny little breaths and letting out small moans. 

_“S-Sou,”_ Makoto crooned, as Sousuke mouthed at the corner of his lips. Sousuke leaned down a bit more to where their bodies pressed against each other, Makoto’s chest almost felt like it could burn Sousuke through his shirt. 

“God, oh- _fm-fuck_ ,” Sousuke tilted his neck back at the feeling of their crotches rubbing together. He could get hard like this. In fact, he was halfway there already. 

“Sousuke,” Makoto said, hands running down to Sousuke’s neck and pulling him back down. Makoto mouthed at Sousuke’s neck, just below the ear and he _moaned_. 

“ _Oh--MMMHNN--gh!”_ Sousuke’s lips parted in a wide ‘ _O’_ , “Keep doing that, _please._ ” 

Makoto compiled, his hands tightened their grip on Sousuke’s neck as his lips roamed all over his throat. 

“You’re so warm,” Makoto huffed against his pulse, kissing at it again, “And your throat--” _kiss_ “vibrates when you, mm,” this time Makoto stopped to suck just beside his adam’s apple, making Sousuke whimper, “Please moan again.” 

“AH! Hahh, unnnNh,” Sousuke breathed out, both at the request and Makoto deciding to bite the side of this throat. 

“Thank you,” Makoto said and fuck what kind of guy said _thank you_ while making out with someone?

Sousuke looked down at Makoto, the other boy’s eyes were clouded, fogged and half lidded. Sousuke gave a small roll of his hips and watched Makoto’s face contort, his eyes scrunch shut and mouth hang open. 

Sousuke took all of .0003 seconds to wonder how far they were going to take this. 

But anything that resembled _thought_ quickly got shoved out of his brain as Makoto thrust up against Sousuke’s crotch. 

“Y-you don’t mind, right?” Makoto asked, his eyes were still squeezed shut and his face was washed over with red. 

“No,” Sousuke huffed, biting his lip and scrunching his own eyes as he rubbed forward against Makoto. 

“Ghh-- _god,_ ” Makoto moaned, yanking Sousuke’s head back down by his hair. Sousuke winced but then he grunted as the two of them started to rut against each other, their rhythm was sloppy, or more like non-existent, but it felt _amazing._

Sousuke’s legs and core tensed as he focused on rubbing harder. It felt so _hot,_ he was hard in his jeans and he could feel the stiff, warm bulge in Makoto’s khakis. 

Sousuke’s eyes scrunched shut again and he blindly felt Makoto’s lips smash back against his. Makoto ran his tongue across Sousuke’s lips and Sousuke met it with his own. They both opened their mouths, sliding their tongues together and humming and gasping at the feeling of both the other boy’s slick mouth and warm--no-- _scalding_ crotch. 

“Hnnmm,” Sousuke hummed into the kiss, finally starting to get the hang of circling his hips down against Makoto’s. Makoto’s hands were all over his hair. One had slipped down to play with Sousuke’s piercings, rolling a spike between his thumb and forefinger and for some reason that make Sousuke huff out a little _‘NNg’._

Sousuke broke their lips apart, gasping in air only to have it forced out of him when Makoto rutted up against Sousuke. _Hard._

“ _Ohhh shhiiit,_ ” he huffed out, eyes flying open, “Fuccck.” 

Sousuke was now _extremely_ hard. He felt like he was burning, and looking down at Makoto’s flushed face, he probably wasn’t alone. 

“Mako--” Sousuke breathed out, still busy rubbing his and Makoto’s bodies together like the hopeless, horny teenager he was. 

“Yeah?” Makoto asked, his eyes were still closed, his chest was puffing in and out heavily. 

“H-- _uhhnn shimm-shit,_ ” Sousuke breathed in slowly, trying to ignore how nice it felt for Makoto’s hands to roam all over his neck, sliding down under the collar of his shirt. 

“How far do you wanna take this?” Sousuke asked, he stopped the movement of his hips, even though he _really_ didn’t want to. 

Makoto’s eyes fluttered open, he bit at his lip and quickly glanced away from Sousuke. 

“Not… too far,” Makoto said. He wiggled from where he was lying on the couch. 

“Do you wanna stop here?” Sousuke asked. Now, _he_ didn't wanna stop and would probably have to run away to the bathroom if they did but if Makoto wasn't cool with everything they would. 

“No,” Makoto said quickly, his thumbs traced circles along the skin of Sousuke's neck. 

Sousuke smiled and pushed himself up so that he was kneeling in front of Makoto. The brunette’s hands slid down to rest on Sousuke’s shoulders. 

“Good, so do you mind if I just… do something?”

Makoto shook his head. His grip tightened on Sousuke’s shoulders. 

“C-cool,” Sousuke stuttered and _shit_ he had to be. Calm. Not. Not calm. 

Sousuke placed his hands over Makoto’s own and slowly took them off his shoulders. 

“Uh, just follow along?” Sousuke said. His hands moved down to the hem of Makoto’s white shirt. 

They both gulped. 

Sousuke slowly, _slowly_ hooked his fingers under the hem of Makoto’s shirt and dragged it up. Up over his stomach, his chest and stopped just shy of Makoto’s collar bone. 

“Whoa…” Sousuke breathed out, because _whoa._

Makoto’s hands covered his own face but for once Sousuke was okay with not seeing Makoto’s face. 

Because _shit_ abs sure as hell compensated. 

Makoto’s chest was hard and defined, his stomach was flat and subtle muscle lines, not exactly washboard but still goddamn mouth watering. 

“You never told me you were ripped…” Sousuke said, smiling. Because _oh my god_ his crush just turned boyfriend was actually even more beautiful.

“‘M not _ripped,_ ” Makoto muttered from behind his hands. 

“Yes, you are,” Sousuke said. Then, tentatively, he placed his hands on Makoto’s bare sides. Makoto’s muscles tensed at the touch. And _god_ he could watch the way Makoto’s cinnamon tan skin moved for hours. 

“It's okay if I touch you, right?” Sousuke asked. Why did he ask? Because he had no idea what he was doing, that's why. He had no idea what to do with the almost six feet tall, wall of subtle muscles with a tent in his school khakis. 

Or--he had an idea. Mainly it was up to whether or not he had the confidence to go through with it. 

“Yeah, of course,” Makoto said, his hands slipped away from his face. He didn't seem to know where to put them. So he sat up, leaning back on his left elbow. 

“So… now wha--?” 

Sousuke was kissing him again before Makoto could finish. 

“ _Mmnn_ ,” Sousuke grunted into the kiss, he opened his mouth, prodding at Makoto’s lips with his tongue. Makoto opened his mouth with a puff and Sousuke slid his tongue in, running it along the tip of Makoto’s own. 

“Hnn!!” Makoto squeaked when Sousuke’s hands started moving. And they were going _everywhere_. His fingertips pressed down and dragged along Makoto’s stomach, loving how those muscles tensed when he touched them. 

Sousuke worked his tongue and inched his hands up, repeating the phrase _please don't freak out, please_ in his mind. Before finally his right thumb brushed over Makoto’s nipple. 

Makoto gasped, breaking his lips away from Sousuke’s. 

Both of Sousuke’s hands ran over Makoto’s chest. 

“This okay?”

Makoto nodded vigorously. 

“Good,” Sousuke said, the he ducked his head down, lightly kissing at Makoto’s neck. 

Makoto’s skin was _so_ warm and smooth and Sousuke left dozens of short kisses along it and Makoto’s hands ran up his shoulders and into his hair again. 

Sousuke drifted his head down past the shirt bunched up on Makoto’s chest. 

And then he just found himself staring. Makoto’s chest was going _up_ and _down, up_ and _down_ as he panted heavily. Sousuke’s own hands were rubbing along his pecs and _god._

Sousuke’s head dropped down again, quickly enough so that he couldn't back out. 

He took Makoto’s left nipple between his teeth and sucked. His tongue circled the bud, he grunted as it hardened in his mouth. 

“Ohh, ohh _gOD!”_ Makoto groaned. His grip in Sousuke’s hair tightened. 

_“Mmnn,”_ was all Sousuke had as a response. 

He mouthed at Makoto’s nipple, then his head shifted down, running his lips over Makoto’s pec. Then further down his chest. 

His hands moved down to Makoto’s hips, he gripped as the harsh line of his hip bone and kisses down the center of his stomach. 

“ _Sou--S-nn_ , what are you d-doing?” Makoto gasped out when Sousuke mustered up the confidence to lick up Makoto’s chest for half a second. 

“Whatever you want me to do,” Sousuke painted. He was pretty--excited himself. So yeah, Sousuke really hoped that Makoto was okay with taking shit further because Sousuke was kinda dying. 

And _oh_ he had the chance to be smooth and look like he knew what he was doing. 

“So… is _this_ something you'd want me to do?” Sousuke asked, his right hand slid down Makoto’s stomach feeling the ridged muscles under the skin. 

Sousuke’s eyes focused on Makoto’s face as his hand slid down to palm his crotch. 

“Oh _God_ ,” Makoto panted. His eyes focused down on Sousuke’s hand. 

Sousuke grinded his hand down, clearly feeling the hard outline of Makoto’s cock through his pants. The heel of his hand made small circles over the head and Makoto’s face tilted back as he whimpered. 

“ _Yes,_ ” Makoto panted, he lifted his head back up the smallest bit, looking at Sousuke through his olive-brown eyelashes, “I want you to do that… please.” 

“ _Fuck_ , stop saying _please_ ,” Sousuke growled, he gripped Makoto’s dick through the cloth of his khakis and gave an attempted stroke. 

Sousuke stretched back up, he kissed Makoto slowly as he slipped two fingers down between his pants and his briefs. 

His skin was _scalding_. 

Sousuke closed his eyes and tilted his head to kiss Makoto better as he teased at the other boy’s cock with his hand. 

“ _Mgm_ ,” was all Makoto grunted into the kiss. 

Sousuke found himself palming at his own erection with his other hand. Fuck, he needed to speed things up. 

Sousuke broke their lips apart with a _smack_ and then, as smoothly as he could, Sousuke scooted back until he looked down and all he saw was Makoto’s bulging crotch. 

Sousuke leaned down to the smooth, warm patch of skin beside Makoto’s hip bone. He kissed and licked at the skin, even gave a small suck and--

“OH--G--mmnh--!” 

Well _obviously_ that was a good idea. 

Sousuke sucked harder at that small, tender patch of skin, mouthing and nipping at it. He even groaned against Makoto’s skin because _damn_ he liked this. 

“Sou--S-Sou, hh,” Makoto muttered. 

Sousuke looked up to see hazy green eyes staring down at him. Sousuke smiled as his right hand reached for the button of Makoto’s pants. He didn't seem to be wearing a belt, which was lovely, they didn't need any extra obstacles. 

Sousuke looked back down at what he was doing, and noticed the just starting to form purple mark just beside Makoto’s hip bone. 

And for some reason that was the most confidence boosting thing he'd ever seen. 

Sousuke popped open the button of Makoto’s pants and hurriedly unzipped the zipper. 

“ _Mmhhn,_ ” Makoto squeaked out in surprise. 

“Sou? D-Do you really wanna do that?” Makoto asked, his breathing was heavy, and Sousuke looked up at him again, seeing his red covered face and the fucking _want_ in his eyes. 

“Fuck yes,” Sousuke said and in all honesty he was probably being a bit _over eager_ but Makoto didn't seem to mind. 

Sousuke looked down at the now unavoidable bulge Makoto had. That was now only hidden by gray trimmed with white boxer briefs. Sousuke exhaled slowly, he moved to position himself onto his elbows. 

“ _Nhg_ ,” Sousuke gritted out as his own crotch rubbed against the sofa as he moved, “Haa, shit,” he continued, focusing back on the task at hand. 

Sousuke looked up at Makoto again and he was blushing like crazy, with his shirt pushed all the way up and one hand haphazard covering his face. 

Sousuke exhaled slowly, his breath hitting Makoto’s clothed dick and the other boy shivered. 

Then Sousuke hooked a finger under the elastic of Makoto’s boxers and pul--

“Are you really sure, Sousuke? You don't have too… un-unless you want to but really you don't need to at all I'll be okay I just don't wanna--”

“Mako,” Sousuke said, he was breathing hard now too, “I wanna suck your dick.” 

Then he looked up at the other boy and _fuck_ this sounded pathetic and almost creepy but he _really_ wanted this to go further. 

“Can I?” he asked, feeling his own face start to heat up because he just _asked for another guy’s permission to suck his dick_. 

Makoto nodded like crazy, his eyes wide and his hand lifting away from his face. 

“Yeah--yes--g-go ahead--I mean--!! I want you to so-- _oh f-f-uck!!_ ” 

Sousuke mouthed Makoto’s cock through his boxers, sliding his fingers down further as well, feeling the tender skin just below the hem. 

Sousuke pulled his mouth away and looked down at the wet spot he’d left. Makoto’s dick twitched under the thin cloth and _fuck_ that's all it took.

The two fingers that Sousuke and slipped down the band of Makoto’s boxers were quickly yanked down, bringing the gray cloth with it. 

“Unnhh,” Makoto gasped out. Sousuke sat himself up a bit, pulling down the other boy’s khakis further to have more room. The cloth slid down to reveal his tensed, tanned thighs, the lines that cut past his hips down towards the dark brown hair below his navel. 

Sousuke hadn't even full on touched his dick yet but Makoto was _hard._ His cock was arching up, moving a bit with Makoto’s heavy breaths. The head was a dark red color, with the smallest bead of precum shining at the top of it.

Sousuke ran his hand up Makoto’s bare thigh. Then he reached further, gripping the base of Makoto’s cock and running his thumb along the bulging vein. 

“S- _Sou_ ,” Makoto whimpered. 

Makoto’s skin was soft and _so warm._ Sousuke gave a few slow, tentative strokes with his right hand, supporting himself up in between Makoto’s spread legs with his left. His hand ran up and down. He used his thumb to run at the seam where the head met the shaft. Makoto moaned at the touch. 

“Haa-- _Ohhh,_ ” Makoto kept panting out broken huffs as Sousuke moved his hand, “ah, hn, nn,” twisting his wrist so that his palm rubbed a bit harder against the shaft, “Ghh, ahh--nnn!” 

Sousuke leaned down, staring at Makoto's dick because _well fuck_ it was right in front of his face. He slid his hand down to the base of Makoto’s cock and parted his lips. 

_“Ohh godd!”_ Makoto groaned out. 

Sasuke's head snapped up, the grip he had around Makoto’s dick tightened a bit without him noticing. 

“MHNN!” Makoto yelped, his green eyes were wide and staring down at Sousuke. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Sousuke asked, furrowing his eyebrows. 

Makoto’s eyes widened even more. 

“No!” he said quickly, “Uh-unless you wanna--” 

“I don't wanna stop but what was with the _‘Oh god~’_ before I even did anything?” Sousuke asked. 

“B-Before you even did anything?” Makoto repeated, looking more confused then Sousuke had ever seen him. And he was still blushing. And trembling. 

Sousuke just shot Makoto another weird look, before looking back down to the business at hand. Or--in hand. 

Sousuke tongue swiped out to wet his lips and he leaned down. He could feel the heat coming off Makoto’s tanned skin. The pale color of his own hand around Makoto's darkly flushed cock was a stark contrast. 

Sousuke lowered his head just enough to where his lips were just beside the shaft, and his cheek threatened to swipe along the sensitive skin. 

His nose was filled with a musty scent and suddenly Sousuke's eyelids drooped heavily as he ran his lips down the side of Makoto's dick. 

Sousuke flicked his eyes up to Makoto's face as he opened his mouth and flattened out his tongue along the side of Makoto's cock, dragging it up slowly. 

_“Uuuhnnn,”_ Makoto moaned out, “...mmnnah!...again..?” he asked quietly. 

Sousuke didn't respond, only traced his tongue along the vein running up his cock. 

Sousuke mouthed at the side, his lips almost felt burned at the contact. 

Sousuke tasted something bitter when he finally licked up to the head. He paused for a moment, his bottom lip brushing against the seam of where the tip flared out before he finally took it into his mouth. 

“S-SOU--!” Makoto gasped as Sousuke wrapped his lips around the head, his tongue ran up and down the slit.

Makoto's cock felt a lot bigger than it looked. Sousuke focused on opening his mouth wider as he sank further down. The head rubbed along the roof of Sousuke's mouth and again there was a bitter taste on his tongue. 

“Nnnngg, haa,” Makoto grunted out as Sousuke tightened his lips around the shaft and gave an experimental suck. 

“Souu--keep going, p-ple--aah!” 

Sousuke started moving his hand again. His eyes slid shut and Sousuke just focused on listening to the sounds Makoto was making as he moved his tongue and gently cupped his balls. 

“Gh--hnnm,” there was a hand in his hair again, twisting and gripping at the short locks. While another hand rested on the side of Sousuke's face, with the palm on his cheek and fingers running over a small hoop in his ear. 

“Ah--Sou-so--mnn _nh!_ ”

Sousuke slid up and off Makoto's cock, sucking in a deep breath and breathing raggedly out over the head. He blinked his eyes open and looked up at Makoto. 

“Good?” he asked. 

“G-good. Amazing, wow--just please keep going,” Makoto sputtered, his hands were still on his face and in his hair. He started to gently pull Sousuke back towards his dick. 

Sousuke smirked before he opened his mouth and took the head in again. Saliva pooled on his tongue before he flattened it out and opened his jaw even more. 

Slowly he took more and more in, his right hand moved to rub circles into Makoto's stomach and feel how his muscles tensed even more the more Sousuke took in. 

Sousuke reached just halfway down Makoto's cock when the head met the back of his throat. 

Sousuke's eyes widened and he quickly pulled back off Makoto's dick with a wet sucking sound.

Makoto's grip in his hair tightened even more as Sousuke covered his mouth with his hand and tried not to cough.

“Are you okay?” 

Sousuke nodded, wiping some of the spit at the corners of his mouth with his hand. 

“Yeah, ahmm, m’fine,” he said. Sousuke sucked in another breath and without warning wrapped his lips around the head again. 

_“Shi-t annhg--”_

Sousuke sucked hard and moved his right hand once again, this time sliding it down to his own throbbing dick. 

Sousuke groaned in the back of his throat as he harshly gripped at himself through his jeans, he scrunch his eyes shut at the feeling. 

“G- _OD, SOU--!_ ” Makoto groaned out. Sousuke's eyes snapped open at the feeling of Makoto's hips buck up, shoving the other boy’s dick further past his lips. 

“ _Mnnh…_ ” Sousuke grunted around the cock in his mouth, he flicked his eyes up towards Makoto's face and _holy fuck._

Sousuke attempted to bob his head, tightening his lips around the head while fumbling with the button in his jeans. Sousuke shoved his hand down into his own briefs as soon as the button was open and the zipper was half down. 

He tried to breath in through his nose but he couldn't get enough in. He bobbed a few more time before sucking up and releasing Makoto's cock with another wet sound.

“Ahh- _shit, nng--_ ” Sousuke huffed out as he wrapped his hand tightly around his own dick, he started stroking roughly. He let his face fall forward, forehead resting beside Makoto’s hip bone. . Sousuke started licking at the base of Makoto's dick, breathing heavily all the while. 

“Nnnnh, Sou-Sousuke… d-nh-don’t…” 

Sousuke looked up again, his lips parted in a silent gasp as he started stroking himself faster. His hand was rough, yet familiar. He wondered what Makoto's would feel like. 

“ _Fuck_. W--ah-what?” he asked. 

Makoto started down at him, his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyes only half open. His tanned skin was washed over with a deep blush and his entire body was tensed as rigid. 

“Don't let me c-nnuh--cum yet. I wanna-- _oh Sousuke--_ ” Makoto threw his head back Sousuke started to mouth as the base of his cock again. 

“Don't _do_ that--i don--wanna--nnHH!” 

Sousuke kissed up the side of Makoto's cock, he licked the slit at the top before taking it in again. Sousuke groaned again and feft Makoto's legs tremble on either side of him. 

Makoto moved both of his hands to rest them on the back of Sousuke's head and slowly push his mouth further down. 

“Nnnggh, Sousuke--its-- _ah so good--mn,”_

Makoto's head was still tilted back and his hands lightly pushed and pulled on Sousuke's hair, guiding him up and down. 

They finally found a rhythm. Sousuke watched with heavy eyes as Makoto's face tilted from side to side as different grunts and moans were drawn out of him. 

Sousuke concentrated as much as he could on breathing through his nose, flattening out his tongue and hollowing his cheeks slightly as he took in as much of Makoto as he could before sucking hard as Makoto guided his head up again

His hand got faster around himself and his left arm trembled from supporting his own weight for so long. 

Sousuke's dick twitched in his hand and he groaned around the head when he reached it again. 

Makoto's response was honestly the hottest thing Sousuke had ever seen. 

The other boy's entire body was racked over by a deep shiver, he raised his head again, looking down at Sousuke who started right back at him, still groaning. 

Then Makoto’s eyes rolled back for a moment, his mouth was agape as his head fell back again. 

“UUHHNN--SOU!”

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“So… I dunno how's your brother?” Aomine asked as they walked. He was back in that oversized blue hoodie. Mist came out of his mouth as he spoke. And his black duffel bag bounced against his leg. 

It was _really_ damn cold. 

“Wow, you’ve really run out of things to talk about,” Kagami said, smiling, even though his nose hurt a bit from the cold. 

“Shut up, I’m being considerate just roll with me.” 

“Alright, alright,” Kagami said, shoving his hands further into his hoodie, “And he’s fine, by the way, still up North.” 

“Cool,” Aomine said, nodding slightly, “He know about… the kid?” 

“Yes, why wouldn’t he?” Kagami side-eyed Aomine. 

“I dunno, Satsuki was complaining about how I already got to meet him, just wondering if Zaki’s like… I dunno a secret,” Aomine shrugged. 

“Sousuke isn’t a secret,” Kagami snorted, “I just don’t see everybody all that often, so like it doesn’t happen. Plus it’s not like Sousuke’s this cute little kid that everybody could buy stuff for…” 

“Akashi could get him a car.” 

“Well fuck, I didn’t think of that.” 

“ _You_ could also get him a car,” Aomine said, bumping his shoulder, “Zaki know you’re a rich sonofabitch?” Aomine asked, smiling at him as they turned a corner. Home was just a few blocks away. 

“ _No,_ ” Kagami grunted, “And he doesn’t need to, then he’d want me to adopt him.” 

Aomine laughed, his smile was bright as a car with it’s high beams on passed by. 

“How long’s he gonna stay with you anyway?” Aomine asked. 

“Probably until he’s eighteen,” Kagami shrugged, “I mean, where else would he go? And it’s only two years, I’m sure it’d take three for one of us to murder the other.” 

Aomine laughed again, “So what happens after Sousuke’s gone? You foster another kid? You gonna do this until you’re retired? You’ll be like a crazy cat lady, only with real children,” he snickered. 

“Oh, shut up,” Kagami glared over at his friend, “And stop assuming I’m gonna be some lonely hermit. And what about you? What’ll you be doing in two years?” 

Aomine looked back at Kagami and smiled, just staring for a moment. 

“Someone with greats fuckin’ tits.” 

“I’m gonna break your teeth oh my fucking god!” Kagami groaned. 

“Cool,” Aomine _leered_ at him, “S’long as I can use _this…_ ” then the bastard stuck his tongue out, swiping it up and down. 

“Oh, you’re gonna _die--_ ” Kagami snarled before he started running after Aomine. 

“You’re gonna have to catch me before you can kill me!” Aomine called out, he tossed his head to grin over his shoulder. His bag swung out behind him as he ran. 

“I always catch you!” 

Kagami chased after Aomine, it wasn’t a real race, if it was Aomine would be two blocks ahead of him, not within grabbing reach. Their shoes thudded against the barren, cracked sidewalk. 

“Only cuz’ I let you!” Aomine spat back, suddenly slowing down. 

“Shiit--!” Kagami shouted when he didn’t slow down fast enough, “Dude move!” 

Aomine whipped his head over his shoulder and again and yelped. Not that the bastard would ever admit to ever making any kinda sound in that range. And then Aomine _almost_ stepped out of the way and after that Kagami didn’t know what the fuck happened. 

“Oww…” Aomine groaned from where he was jammed against the brick wall of… Kagami’s apartment building. Well that was convenient. 

“Could you not be so _stunted_ all the time?” Kagami grumbled as he pushed himself off the wall and snatched the collar of Aomine’s hoodie. Aomine chuckled through his nose and mist flew out in small puffs. 

“You’ve known me for ten damn years,” Aomine said, “You cn’ answer that yourself.” 

“So no,” Kagami gruffed. 

“Exactly,” Aomine said, giving him a small nodd. Kagami looked at his hand, still twisted in the tick, blue cloth of Aomine’s hoodie. 

Then he felt something thunk against his head. 

Kagami tilted his face up only to see Aomine’s, with his forehead resting against Kagami’s, red and blue bangs mingling. They were _almost_ the same height, hand been for years and years. So Aomine’s eyes were directly in line with Kagami’s. 

Just the very range of those eyes, the dark, almost black navy ring that lined the center of his iris to the bright midnight and encircled his pupils, wide from the dim light they only got from street lamps and randomly lit windows. Fuck, it was entrancing. 

Their misted breath fanned out between them and suddenly Aomine squeezed his eyes shut, his entire face tightened and next thing Kagami knew Aomine was crashing into him. 

Aomine’s arms held him around the shoulders almost _fiercely_. A hand tangled with the hair on the back of Kagami's head as Aomine pulled his head in to rest on the bluenette’s shoulder. His face jammed into the soft cloth of his hoodie. 

The grip was something just shy of too tight, but in that moment, Aomine could’ve squeezed the life out of him and it still would’ve been perfect. 

“Aom--” 

“J-Just roll with me for a minute,” Aomine said, just above a whisper, beside Kagami’s ear, “Please.” 

Kagami didn’t say a word, he just snuck his hand out from between them and wrapped his arms around Aomine’s chest, pulling him in close and holding him a bit more then just shy of too tight. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“You staying over?” Kagami asked, scratching just above one of his eyebrows as he leaned against the elevator wall beside Aomine. 

“Tetsu probably wouldn’t let me in this late, so yeah,” Aomine said with a shrug. 

“Cool,” Kagami slipped his hands back into the pocket of his hoodie. Aomine silently took out his phone and started mindlessly clicking around before the elevator doors dinged open. 

Kagami yawned as he pushed himself off the wall and through the elevator doors, with Aomine lazily following after. Kagami’s shoulders slumped forward just because it was so _warm_ in his building and he felt like he was thawing out a bit after running around outside in the fucking cold. 

Kagami reached down to the small red duffel at his side and blindly searched around for the keys he _knew_ were in the front outside pocket on the left. 

The keys jingled in his hand as he slid one into the doorknob and unlocked it with a click. 

The entry hall way dark, and Kagami slipped in he instantly started toeing off his shoes and slipped off his beanie. 

_“Nnh!”_

Kagami whipped his head around to look at Aomine. 

“What was that?” he asked. 

Aomine just frowned at him as he stood on one foot to take off his shoes. 

“I didn’t--” 

_“Oh--UN Sousuke!”_

“What the fuck?” 

_“MMhn! I’m so close!”_

Kagami scowled and rushed to the end of the entry way, flipping on the lights to the living room from the panel just beside the hall. 

The light flicked on and the scene before him was full of all kinds of fuckery. 

He saw Makoto, the boy who apparently had a girlfriend, with his head throw back over the armrest of the sofa and his left hand clutching the back of it. 

Then he saw white sock covered feet and black skinny-jean clad ankles across the other end of the sofa. 

And Kagami wasn’t _that much_ of an idiot. 

“UHN! Sou I-Im gonna-I--” Makoto’s face contorted as he groaned his head off.

A second later Sousuke’s head popped up from behind the back of the sofa, panting hard and shoulders heaving, and there was something that caught a glare of light on his face. 

“You two done?” Kagami asked, his hand still frozen on the light switch. 

Sousuke froze and Makoto’s eyes snapped open.

“Oh fuck.” 

“KAGAMI-SAN?!?” 

Beside Kagami, Aomine almost pissed himself laughing. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

“I can explain,” Sousuke said from where he was sitting on the sofa. The sofa he hadn’t moved from even when Makoto ran away to the bathroom and then ran out the door, wishing everyone goodnight and not looking up from the floor. 

And as _soon_ as those words came out of his mouth he wanted to take them back. 

Aomine, who was standing behind Kagami on the other side of the coffee table, snorted. The guy was smirking at him with his arms crossed over his chest, decked out in his usual basketball shorts and a long blue tee. 

Kagami _also_ had his arms folded, in a long black tee and he was glaring. 

And then there was Sousuke. Dying internally. 

Why did they have to get caught? And why did this have to happen? And why couldn’t Sousuke go and change his shirt because he really, _really_ needed to. 

“I’m listening,” Kagami said, those bright red eyes were zeroed in on him and Sousuke felt himself shrink into the sofa. Aomine just snickered. 

“Would you shut up?” Sousuke snapped. And _wow_ he just _needed_ a way to get all the focus off of himself. 

Aomine just laughed some more, “I’m not the one who got caught with a dick in his mouth--” 

“Aomine! Quiet,” Kagami said, looking over his shoulder to glare at the bluenette. Sousuke smiled, “It’s _Sou’s_ turn to talk.” 

Sousuke stopped smiling. 

“I--uh--well, Makoto and I were just hanging out and--and then it just--??” 

“Tachibana’s pants accidentally fell down and then you tripped over the sofa and fell on his dick, right?” Aomine asked. 

“No! That’s not what happened!” Sousuke growled, sinking further back into the leather cushions behind him. 

“Then what _did_ happen?” Kagami asked. Aomine just snorted again. Man, fuck Aomine. He _really_ wasn’t helping the situation. 

“Well, uh, it’s just thaat…” Sousuke leaned forward a bit, if only to look away and scratch the back of his neck, “Uh, so after school Rin and Nanase kinda ditched us and so Makoto walked with me home and decided to stay a while, I made dinner and then we talked about… whatever and then you guys got home…” _must divert conversation, must divert conversation, must…. divert…._

“So you’re saying…” Aomine started, still absolutely _leering_ down at Sousuke, “That you cooked the guy dinner and then sucked his dick?” 

Aomine wasn’t trying at _all_ to hide the fact that he thought this was hysterical. 

“i-I-no!” Sousuke sputtered. And _yeah_ that’s what _happened_ but he wasn’t about to tell the guardian that was keeping a roof over his head that. 

“I wonder what other dating advice Kagami gave you,” Aomine added, raising his eyebrows over at the redhead, that caused an inverse effect of Kagami’s own split brows. 

“You shut your goddamn mouth,” Kagami growled. Aomine only shrugged. 

“I just saw a similarity, s’all,” Aomine said. And _that_ was Sousuke’s opening!

“That has nothing to do with this!” Kagami said, spinning around on his heel and pointing back at Sousuke with his right hand, “What matters is _Sousuke--”_

“Oh. c’mon Taiga, it’s just a little oral sex. You’re not that mad stop acting like it,” Aomine rolled his eyes. 

“They were on the SOFA--!” 

So he slid his comment in as smoothly as he knew how, “So wait! Are you two dating now?” 

They both froze. And _yes! Salvation!_

Sousuke slid out from where he’d almost shoved himself in between two sofa cushions. 

“We’re not together,” Kagami said, whipping his head back around to look at Sousuke, “Wh-Why would you even ask that?” 

“You guys just went out didn’t you?” Sousuke asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“That wasn’t a date--” Kagami started to say. 

“It was kind of a date,” Aomine cut in. Kagami shot him a betrayed look, something that said ‘ _wtf man?’._ Aomine just shrugged, still smiling. 

“It wasn’t a date, we played ball.” 

Aomine nodded his head a bit, looking off of the side in thought, “And went to dinner.” 

“That was Maji--!” 

“And it must’ve been a good date too,” Aomine leaned in a little bit closer to Kagami, “You brought me home after all…” 

“THAT’S NOT WHY I--!!” suddenly Kagami’s eyes widened and he spun around _again_. And pointed at Sousuke again, _“You!”_ he said. 

“Wha?” Sousuke asked, tilting hi head, confused. 

“I know what the fuck you’re doing, you’re not getting out of this that easy!” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Hey…” Sousuke heard a soft knocking on his bedroom door. Sousuke looked up from his dresser and just yanked out a tee shirt without looking at it. The only light was coming from the lamp on his desk and his open laptop. His curtains weren’t open all that much. He quickly slipped in on over his bare shoulders only to find out it was teal. 

Sousuke ran a hand through his hair as he opened the door. 

Kagami was in the other side of it, scratching behind his ear as he waited. 

“Hey,” Sousuke said.

“So, uh,” Kagami started, and that hand behind his ear slid to rub at the back of his neck, “I just wanna let you know that I’m not that mad. I get it, I lived through that kinda stuff and--shit don’t do it on the _sofa_ have some damn courtesy.” 

Sousuke nodded quickly, “Understood.” 

Kagami sighed, giving him a tired smile as he hand slid down off his neck. 

“So you and Makoto?” he asked. 

Sousuke cracked a smile, “Yeah.” 

“What happened to the girlfriend?” Kagami asked. 

Sousuke glanced away for a moment, running a hand through his hair again. 

“It’s--uh-- _he’s_ actually his _best_ friend, who’s been his neighbor since they were little.” 

Kagami smiled at him, his hand came up to jostle Sousuke’s shoulder a bit. 

“Moron, making me worry over nothing,” he gruffed. 

“Sorry, again, Kagami,” Sousuke said, and he _actually_ couldn’t stop smiling after the fact what Makoto was now his _boyfriend_ was brought up again. 

Kagami just bumped his shoulder with his fist again, before starting to turn around, but stopped himself. 

“Also… don’t call me Kagami.” 

Sousuke’s eyes furrowed, “What do you want me to call you, _‘dad’?”_

Kagami looked at him as if he just ate a frog, “What?! No! Kagami already makes me feel old, just Taiga, okay?” 

“Uh, okay.” 

“Okay, cool, goodnight,” Kagami nodded to him before turning around to leave. 

“G’night _Dad.”_

It looked like Kagami went through a full body twitch, but other then that he didn’t respond as he walked away to the living room. Sousuke smiled even more as he closed his door. And as soon as it clicked shut, before he even let go of the doorknob, he found himself grinning like an idiot and saying: 

“Makoto’s my boyfriend.” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami resisted the urge to run back to Sousuke’s room and steal a couple of his bracelets to teach him a lesson, but thought better of it so he just kept on until he got to the dimly lit living room. 

And what he saw there made him frown. 

“You’re gonna sleep on the couch?” Kagami asked as he watched Aomine stretch out a blanket across it. 

“Well, yeah,” Aomine said, shrugging. He was only in a tank top and some different basketball shorts now. Kagami had also gotten out of his worn tee and shorts too and into an almost identical but different because they were _clean_ set. 

“Where else am I supposed to sleep?” Aomine asked, looking up at him as he placed a pillow with a white case on it at one end of the sofa. 

“I dunno I could find the futon?” Kagami said, “But dude, do you _really_ wanna sleep on this couch right now?” he asked, walking over as Aomine sat down on top of the blanket he’d set. Kagami rested his hands onto the back of the sofa, only really seeing the top of Aomine’s head and it’s soft blue hair. 

“You _know_ worse things have happened to this couch, Kagami,” Aomine said, lolling his head back to rest on the back of the couch between Kagami’s arms. And he smiled, again. 

“Yeah, but good things did too,” Kagami argued, his hands still resting on the back of the couch he’d owned for three years. He looked down at Aomine, those swirling blue eyes that looked lazy and calm. Comfortable. And so goddamn familiar. Kagami bent his elbows, leaning down closer. Aomine’s calm, almost at home features tensed. And his thin eyes widened the smallest bit as his lips parted. 

Kagami moved his head down further, down and over to Aomine’s ear, his bangs hung down and probably brushed at Aomine’s forehead. 

Kagami closed his eyes and whispered, “Goodnight, Daiki.”


	8. Guillotine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There's bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway... I know that you'll love me, love me, even when I lose my head. Guillotine." 
> 
> ~Jon Bellion~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-ed by unmei_na_no_da_yo!!!!!!
> 
> And a spppeecial thank you to fuckup_101 for giving me some must needed knowledge I desired to write this chapter. 
> 
> Also this chapter took a bit longer cuz I decided to write 7k of smut!! Oops!!   
> ...whoa... 14k since.... since like last Saturday... no wonder I have a C in statistics guys...

_*Bzzt*_

_*Bzz*_

“Heh…” 

_*Bzt*_

“...so fuckin cute…”

_*Bzzt*_

“Ha… _‘I can’t either… El… ehm… ae oh’.”_

Kagami looked up from his pancakes over at Sousuke, who was seated one barstool over from Kagami. 

Not eating pancakes. 

Sousuke was hunched in on himself, a blue light was shining on his face and the front of his blue button down. There were only _two_ spikes in the kid’s ear. Or at least, the ear Kagami could see. The other could have 30 for all he knew. 

_*Bzz*_

“Oh my god… heh.” 

Kagami turned away with a shiver. Unfortunately, he couldn’t say that this was a new occurrence. It was very frequent. And not just in the mornings, but in the afternoons--when Sousuke was at home and not out with Makoto--evenings, and basically every single moment of every single day. 

_*Bzzt*_

Kagami took an overly aggressive stab at his stack of pancakes, he reached into his pocket and brought out his own phone, he tapped the screen to life and swiped around until a chat window popped up. 

_**[ur still comin ovr 2nite rite]  
[dud don let me sffer alon]** _

The response was instant. Which was weird because Aomine would like… never be awake this early. 

_**[lol not now im not]** _

Kagami scowled but before he could message back another bubble appeared. 

_**[jk ill be thre this aftrn. Cya]** _

_*Bzzt*_

“Awh…” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke wasn’t _exactly_ running to school, and he totally hadn’t been not exactly running to school every day for the past two weeks. 

“SOuSUke!!” Rin barked from behind him. Sousuke looked over his shoulder. He was wearing that old leather jacket he hadn’t touched in a while over his school blazer. The redhead wasn’t _that_ far behind him. He didn’t see what the problem was. 

“School is THAT WAY!” Rin said, pointing at the corner he was standing at that Sousuke had completely disregarded and walked past. 

“Oh…” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke smiled as soon as he walked through the classroom door. Like he’d been doing for the past two weeks. 

Makoto was leaning back in his seat, but as soon as he spotted Sosuke, he straightened up. And smiled. At _him_. 

Sousuke quickly made his way across the classroom. With Rin following close behind. Probably. He didn’t bother to look over and check. 

“Hey,” Sousuke said, he slid his bookbag off his shoulders and quickly dropped it onto the floor. Makoto turned around in his seat, still smiling at him. As usual, the other boy’s hair was a gold-brown mess, and it moved slightly when Makoto tilted his head at him. 

“How are you?” Makoto asked, his right forearms rested on Sousuke’s desk. It was a small gesture, but Sousuke gave him a little side-eyes look as he carefully inched his hand up so that it was beside Makoto’s. 

They weren’t _holding hands_ , but they were y’know, _touching_. And that was all either of them had enough guts to do when they were at school. 

Even _if_ kissing Makoto was all Sousuke wanted to do at the moment. 

“I’m fine,” Sou said, running his thumb along the side of Makoto’s palm. 

And he didn’t care if his classmates thought it was creepy that the probably-brain-dead-and-most-likely-a-devil-worshiper-boy was smiling like a moron. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke dropped his notebook and his pen into the abyss that was the middle pocket of his bookbag and zipped it up in one fluid motion. 

In front of him, Makoto was only a little bit neater, meaning he tossed his pencil into a small pocket he had in the form of his gray--trimmed green along all the zippers--bookbag, then shoved his notebook somewhere random but easy enough to find if one simple unzipped all pockets and flipped the bag upside down over one’s bed. 

“You wanna come hang out?” Sousuke asked, standing beside Makoto. The nice thing about almost being the same height was that their hands could hang down beside each other casually. 

Makoto squared his shoulders to adjust his bag. Without looking at Sousuke, he snagged the dark haired boy’s thumb with his pointer and middle fingers. 

“Haru and I are studying today,” he said, he glanced over at Sousuke but only to look down at their hands. 

Other students moved and started to walk out the door and didn’t give them a second glance. 

Sousuke ducked his head to catch Makoto’s eyes. 

“Can I come with?” he asked. 

Makoto winced at that. He scratched the back of his neck before finally looking up at Sousuke. 

“About that…” Makoto said, and his face took on an exasperated look, “Haru thinks that I’ve--well.” 

“Nanase… thinks… that’s new.” 

Makoto let go of Sousuke’s thumb and smacked his shoulder. Sousuke snorted. 

“Haru feels neglected,” Makoto said, and he started to walk towards the classroom door. Sousuke followed after him. 

“Neglected?” Sousuke echoed, he looked over at Rin, just in time to see his friend bump into a desk because he was too busy staring down at his phone. He looked grumpy. 

“Yeah,” Makoto huffed, his cheeks puffed out a bit before he continued, it was pretty cute, “He thinks I’ve been focusing on you too much.” 

“I don’t see how that’s a problem,” Sousuke said with a shrug, the collar of his jacket rubbed on his neck softly. He really need to wear this thing more often, it was comfy. And hid the stupid school blazer well. 

Makoto gave him a little eye roll, “He _also_ thinks you’ve corrupted me.” 

_“Oh?”_ Sousuke asked, his voice pitching up a bit. They were out in the hallway, which was not that full, when Sousuke leaned forward down by Makoto’s ear. 

_“How so?”_

Sousuke smirked, waiting to see red pop up on the tips of his boyfriend’s ears.

Makoto’s reaction was really disappointing in that aspect, but also really not in another one. 

Makoto turned his head to look at Sousuke with those flashy green eyes, and he _smiled._

“He thinks that I’ve gone from an innocent little angel to a hooligan who follows you home and fucks your brains out every afternoon.” 

Sousuke become rooted where he stood. Makoto twisted around to peck the _quickest_ of kisses on his cheek and said, “Bye Sou, I’ll text you.” 

Then Makoto just left Sousuke, completely immobilized, in the middle of the hallway. 

A couple seconds--or minutes? Hours? Days? Somethings?--later Rin walked up beside him, still scowling down at his phone and typing away at it like it’d personally offended him. 

Not that Sousuke noticed. At all. He was too busy reliving what might’ve been the best moment in his short 16 year lifespan--second to maybe being born. 

Sousuke was a teenage boy who now had a hot boyfriend so he kinda thought about--stuff. But he _never_ in a _thousand years_ thought that maybe his thoughts and Makoto’s thoughts actually lined up with each other. 

Meanwhile the sound of Rin’s angry grunts and keysmashing--because Rin was one of those annoying people that didn’t silence their keyboards--finally broke Sousuke out of his trance. 

“Gou--you little--mom’ll-- _urhg--!!”_ followed by lots and lots of tapping. 

“What is it?” Sousuke asked, he snagged Rin by his blazer to drag him down the now almost empty hallway. 

“Gou said mom told me I need to walk her and her friends to the library and stay to watch them and-- _oh my god it’s so annoying.”_

“Rip,” Sousuke muttered as he started down the stairs. 

“I know! It sucks!” Rin shook his phone out in front of him. All it did in response was vibrate almost violently. 

“She won’t shut up either! Talking about how she found this _really smart guy_ who’s gonna help them all study and magically get them all A’s. Some uber nerd she met when she was spying on the track team and I could seriously _not_ care _less!”_

“Mn, awful,” Sousuke agreed, they’d reached the first floor and Sousuke patted his friend on the shoulder, “I wish you luck.” 

Rin’s head snapped up away from his phone, “You’re not coming with me?” 

Sousuke looked down at the redhead like he was crazy. 

“Babysitting teenage girls at the library? Nah,” he said, waving his hand dismissively as they started to walk outside the school door. The air hit them hard. 

Again, Sousuke was very glad for his jacket. 

“Traitor,” Rin grunted, he folded his arms over his chest. Both because he was mad, and most likely cold. 

Sousuke only smiled, shoving his hands into the heavy pockets of his leather jacket. 

“You’re gonna get lost on the way home,” Rin said when they reached the gates, about to go separate ways. 

“I can always guilt Makoto into coming to find me,” Sousuke said, turning on his heel and away from Rin. 

“Well _fuck you too_ Sousuke!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Kagami stirred the yellow-ie sause in the steel bowl in his hands with both an almost frantic speed and well practiced grace. He had his phone shoved between his shoulder and his right ear, listening for the dial tone. 

The kitchen around him was a _mess_. People weren’t freaking out _yet_ but _boy_ were they on edge. And it was rubbing off on Kagami. All because of the 40 year old woman seated at table four in a plum colored pants suit. 

The phone shoved up against his ear rang once, twice, then--

_“Sup, Taiga.”_

“Dai, listen, I’m not gonna be at my place for another hour--maybe four--uhh--shi--” Kagami set down the bowl and whisk inside in onto the steel counter and held the phone against his ear, he adjusted the pot of boiling water on the back burner, making sure it wouldn’t spill over. His _entire_ focus was the sauce right now. 

_“Whao, whao, something up?”_ Aomine’s deep voice sounded into Kagami’s ear through the receiver. 

“Uh, yeah. A critic from _Daily Eats_ just _showed up_ ,” Kagami hissed, trying and _failing_ at not showing that he kinda wanted to throw something. Seriously! This was how he was gonna die. He was gonna be having a nice, slow Thursday at work, with the late lunch crowd just trickling out and then _wa-BAM_ a random food critic would come to not only taste his food, but take a bit out of Kagami’s tender sanity. 

_“Yikes,”_ Aomine winced sympathetically. Though the phone Kagami also heard other things such as a car horn and lots of your average walking-down-the-hellishly-crowded streets of Tokyo shuffling. 

“You already on your way over?” Kagami asked. 

_“Uh yeah, but if you’re not there I’ll probably find somewhere else to stop on the way.”_

“You can still go over there,” Kagami said, he snagged a random little spoon out of a jar and dipped it in the sauce to taste. 

“More tumeric,” he muttered, then he spun on his heel and stepped around a dressed in all white co-worker who was sauteing some asparagus. 

_“What was that?”_ Aomine asked him. 

“I said you can still go to the apartment,” Kagami held the phone with one hand at and opened up the spice cabinet with the other, looking through for the yellow powder he needed. 

“Sousuke should be there, if not now at least soon, he’ll let you in,” Kagami explained, snagging the little glass jar he needed, while tacking on a little, _“probably,”_ to his sentence. 

_“Okay then, guess I’ll see you over there,”_ Aomine hummed into the phone. 

“Yeah, in a little bit. Now I’ve gotta call Sousuke.” 

_“Oh?”_ Aomine said before Kagami could pull the phone away from his ear, _“You thought of me before goth boy?”_ Kagami could _hear_ his stupid smile. 

“I’m going alphabetically, you dumbass--!” Kagami snapped, he took the phone away from his ear and swiped the end call button quick enough so that he only heard a little bit of Aomine’s laughter. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke kicked off his boots and hung up his heavy leather jacket in an empty apartment. 

He flicked on the light in the living room but kept the entry hall dark. He left his book bag at the right end of the sofa like he usually did. Then he walked over to the kitchen and swung open the fridge door to grab himself a cola. 

Sousuke snagged a can and bumped the fridge door closed with his hip. He got his phone out of his back pocket as he started walking towards the sofa. 

He didn’t even both turning the tv on as he flopped down onto the giant leather couch and clicked on his phone, tapping around to get to the chat he’d been using almost non-stop. 

The latest message was in a pale blue bubble that read: 

_**[See you in class!]**_

Followed by a screenshot of google maps showing the way to school from Kagami’s apartment. 

Sousuke smiled at the message. Makoto wasn’t actually the complete angel everyone thought he was, he actually liked to joke around, while simultaneously being considerate. So technically he was still an angel, hidden under snarkiness and all wrapped up in an angelic looking shell. 

_**[how’s the mackerel?]**_

Sousuke typed out. He probably wouldn’t get another message for another hour or so. But still, maybe he’d get one a little sooner than that. 

Sousuke dropped his phone face down on his chest. He was still in his school blazer. But he still didn’t feel like moving to take it off. 

He turned his head to the side a bit, seeing the remote sitting _all the way over_ on the coffee table. 

_Great._

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke had been stretched out across the sofa, mindlessly watching tv and getting psyched out every time Rin sent him a text complaining about how Gou wanted him to join the track team with nerd kid next year to build up some muscle mass, thinking it was Makoto. 

He also jumped when his phone rang to life with a call, only to find out it was _just_ Kagami saying he'd be home late.

His phone vibrated against his chest--which was not only clad in a tee shirt, having changed--and Sousuke tilted it up with his left hand, saw the splash of red ponytail in the profile pic, and quickly focused back on the lovely infomercial selling an orange, square frying pan. 

Sousuke sighed and sank further into the sofa and in that exact moment, when he was _most_ comfortable, enjoying how heat wafted through the apartment, blocking out the February cold. In the comfy pair of slightly oversized black joggers he’d _borrowed_ from Kagami and a simple blue tee shirt. 

That there was an annoyingly loud and painfully familiar knock at the door. 

Sousuke breathed out through his nose slowly. He scratched at his nose and listened to the loud pounding for a moment. Internally debating if he could just maybe fall asleep… and have whoever was standing outside wait until Kagami's late ass decided to show up. 

_“Zaki! Lemme in!”_

Sousuke huffed loudly but still pushed himself up off the couch and slowly, _slowly_ walked towards the apartment door. 

Sousuke casually opened the door and grunted out a greeting to none other than Aomine. The bluenette nodded to him. He was in a heavy, black leather jacket, along with dark jeans and a gray button down. 

Sousuke tried to not focus on how the jacket was--tasteful and stepped to the side to let the bluenette in. 

“Kagami won’t be here for a bit,” Sousuke said as Aomine started to take off his shoes and jacket. 

“Yeah, he called me,” Aomine said. Aomine hung up his jacket on the coat rack--not seeming to notice the other piece of _slightly_ similar apparel he’d hung it up beside--and walked into the living room. 

“No company?” Aomine asked, he glanced around the empty living room before heading to the kitchen. He walked in like he owned the place. And as Sousuke shut the door and walked over to the couch it occurred to him that Aomine might _just_ own this apartment. Or part of it. 

Weird. 

“Makoto’s hanging out with Nanase today,” Sousuke grunted as he sat on the right end of the couch. Aomine seated himself on the left, a beer can in hand, meanwhile Sousuke snagged his cola before sinking back into the couch. 

They sat there silently, mindlessly watching the screen in front of them. 

Then. 

_*Bzzt*_

_*Bzz*_

Sousuke smiled, quickly looking at the middle of the couch and snagging his now glowy phone. And managed to set his cola down on the coffee table and not just throw it. 

The messages were from Makoto and they read: 

_**[very good! :D]  
[Haru says hi]** _

“Yeah right…” Sousuke muttered quietly as he typed out his response. 

_**[what r u guys doing?]** _

_**[studying]** _

_**[pft. Srsly?]** _

_**[....watching documentary clips on youtube]** _

_**[nerd]** _

_**[guilty?]  
[:image attached:]** _

The picture was a little blurry, a quick snapshot of Makoto shrugging wearing those stupid big glasses, his hair a mess and only in a white tee shirt. 

He could also see the top of Nanase’s head in the background, but other than that, it was a perfect photo. 

_**[correction: hot nerd]** _

_**[:D]** _

Sousuke snorted. Then he got another message: 

_**[so what are you up to?]** _

__**[staring out the window aimlessly… waiting for ur return…]  
[ive taken up poetry]  
[what rhymes with ‘perfect green eyes’]**

_**[you know haru’s gonna steal my phone and read these right?]** _

_**[in that case]  
[im also thinking about sucking your dick again]** _

_**[ndhdhfhchchcc!!! Sou!!!]** _

_**[lmaaooo]** _

_**[delete that]** _

_**[why hide the truth?]  
[i hve nothing to be ashamed of mako]** _

“If you’re trying to be smooth, you’re failing,” a deep voice said right next to his ear. 

Sousuke almost _threw his phone_. He also almost _screamed_ , and almost _threw_ himself _off_ the sofa. 

“GH--WHAT-R--UH!”

Sousuke ended up twisting himself over the right armrest of the sofa, phone held up above his head, it’s screen covered with his left hand, and staring at Aomine like he had just grown another head. 

“Boy, if you’re trying to sext you’ve done a _lot_ of things wrong,” Aomine said, he scooted back to his end of the sofa, shaking his head. 

Sousuke’s phone vibrated in his hand again and that seemed to snap him out of the startled haze he’d gone into. 

Sousuke slumped back down onto the sofa, moving his hand so that he could see the screen, but still shielding it so that Aomine couldn’t see. 

_**[haha… well. I’ve gtg. Ill message you when i’m home, k?]** _

Sousuke typed out a slightly disheartened _**[ok]**_ before turning back to Aomine. 

“I know bud,” Aomine said, reaching across the middle cushion to pat Sousuke’s shoulder, “It’s always hard in the beginning.” 

Sousuke clicked off his phone and set it down the coffee table. Before crossing his arms and leaning back into the sofa with a huff. 

“I was doing fine.” 

“You messaged him about sucking his dick while he was hanging out with his friend,” Aomine said, crossing his own arms, “That’s just a no, you won’t get anywhere. This is basic shit.” 

Sousuke looked away, “Yeah well, what is the basic shit?” 

Aomine snorted, unfolding his arms and giving Sousuke a weird, narrow-eyed look. 

“You want me to teach you?” he asked. 

“No!” then he paused, “Maybe!” 

Aomine laughed, before he turned to Sousuke and oddly enough, started explaining. 

“So, you’ve gotta start small,” he said, “You can’t just jump right into _‘I wanna suck your dick’_ y’know? And you’ve gotta be aware of where you are. And where the other person is--” 

“So that shit like you creepily looking over my shoulder doesn’t happen?” Sousuke cut in. 

“ _Yeah_ ,” Aomine admitted, “And where you are can affect how sexting starts. Now _usually_ sexting starts with a sappy _‘I miss you’_ or ‘ _I wanna kiss you right now’_ or ‘ _wish we were balling’_ and you’ve gotta get that picture of the two of you together, and then you’re halfway there.” 

Sousuke found himself nodding along as Aomine continued. 

“And it’s only _after_ they respond that you can start to steam things up, make sense?” 

Aomine reached over to the coffee table and snagged his beer. 

“What else do you know?” Sousuke asked. 

Aomine side-eyed him, “What?” 

“Could you--Um,, can you--Tel--uh--” Sousuke coughed into his hand, “You have more advice?” 

Aomine set down his can on the coffee table again, he turned to face him again and said--with a _completely_ straight face--”You want some advice?” 

“Well--! Makoto and I are like, I dunno I kinda wanna-but--well-fuck um.” 

Aomine cracked a smile, “Well, first, porn is a lie.” 

“I know _that._ ” 

“Shower sex also takes a _lot_ of work, like, you’ve _really_ gotta be dedicated. Especially when the two of you can barely fit in the same shower to begin with,” Aomine said, “If you’re gonna do it, you need like one of those expensive as fuck showers that like spray water out of the walls, or at _least_ have a mat on the floor. Dear _god_ have a mat on the floor so that you don’t kill yourself.” 

Sousuke scooted himself so that he could see Aomine clearly as he spoke. The guy would move his arms around as he spoke and it was actually pretty cool as he explained stuff. 

“Then there’s beach sex. And it’s pretty obvious what the problem _there_ is. Sand in your ass is a fate worse than death. Then there’s stuff that happens in a _bed_ and that’s probably a lot more helpful to you. 

“Like, it actually feel _so much better_ to ride a guy, seriously, it’s the best way to go,” Aomine said as if that was the most obvious fact in the universe. Ignoring how Sousuke’s teenage boy pretence about the world were getting shattered. 

“Also let me ask you this… Do you know how to jerk a guy off?” 

“Yea--” 

“I mean _really_ ,” Aomine said, staring at Sousuke with a completely serious face, “Cuz you see, you’ve gotta take your time, and _really_ focus right below the head--where all the nerves are--” Aomine explained as he twisted his lightly closed fist in the air, “You can get him to come with all these _little_ touches if you just know _where_ , you got it?” 

All Sousuke did was keep nodding. 

“Also your arm gets tired, so it’s always cool to ask the asshole for some help. It is his dick after all.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Okay, okay, you actually don’t have to use lube if your ass is eaten out enough,” Aomine admitted. 

“Hah! I _knew it!_ ” Sousuke exclaimed, pointing at the older man triumphantly. 

“But you’re a beginner!” Aomine cut in, “Always, _always_ prepare, use shit tons of lube, I can’t stress that enough. You might not need it but do it anyway because you’re a stupid teenager.” 

Sousuke dropped his hand and it fell onto the middle sofa cushion with a little _fwap_. 

“Okay,” he said quietly. 

“So,” Aomine said, the man had his feet up on the coffee table and had been taking drinks every now and again as he explained the how-to’s of gay sex to Sousuke, “Any more questions?” 

“Uhh,” Sousuke scratched the back of his neck, they’d quite literally covered all the bases, established that although Sousuke’s experience started and ended with having fun on a sofa it was overall a lot better just to take the half a minute to go find a bed. They’d gone over positions, and Aomine had repeated the phrase _‘Porn is a lie’_ more times than Sousuke could count. 

“What’s the best position to be in so that I can get off too when I’m sucking--a guy’s dick?” 

“Uh, sixty-nine you moron,” Aomine said with this ‘ _are you an idiot?’_ look. 

“I just mean that! Well--It was hard to jerk myself off when I was trying to--ghh! Never mind.” 

“Ohhh, you just mean to jerk of,” Aomine said, nodding in understanding, “In that case, just have him stand up, then you kneel, it’s the classic thing, and hands free. You can feel up his ass or maybe finger him or jerk yourself off, your choice. All options are open.” 

Sousuke was in the middle of kinda feeling like an idiot when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Again. 

Aomine’s entire body perked up, and with a quick _“That must be Taiga,”_ he was on his feet, off the sofa, and speed walking towards the door. 

Sousuke twisted himself so that he could see over the back of the sofa. He watched Aomine open the door and two things led him to believe it was _not_ Kagami at the door. 

One, it _looked_ like there was no one, because Aomine was a huge guy. But Kagami was also huge so usually you’d still see him. 

Two, Aomine’s excited demeanor took a nosedive. His shoulders tilted forward and suddenly there was a pinky fiddling with the bluenette left ear. In fact. This weirdly _ominous_ aura popped up around him suddenly.

“Who are you?” Aomine asked in a deep, tired sounding voice. 

“Hiro Airi, at your service, now sir, is Kagami-san here? I’d love to speak with him,” a familiarly creepy yet upbeat voice after on the other side of Aomine. 

Sousuke quickly scrambled up off the sofa. 

“He’s not here,” Sousuke heard Aomine practically _growl._

Sousuke moved even _faster_ in order to get to the door. 

“Hiro-san-!” Sousuke barked out, waving from behind Aomine, only to see the tiny pant suit-clad social worker pop her head from around Aomine and smile. 

“Why hello, Yamazaki-kun,” she said cheerily. She looked--surprised? 

Sousuke managed to jam himself close enough to the doorway so that he could see Aomine’s face and _wow_ that would be in his nightmares for quite a while. 

Aomine’s face was dark and shadowed, and the line between his eyebrows could cut steel. 

Then Sousuke mumbled out, “Uh, Aomine, this is my social worker…” 

Instant change! 

Aomine’s face completely smoothed out, he even gave a tiny, awkward smile and stepped away from the door. 

“Hiro was it?” Aomine said, “Aomine Daiki, Taiga called me over to watch Sousuke because he was late for work,” then he held out his hand for the tiny social worker to shake. 

Hiro smiled up at him. 

Sousuke felt like he’d just narrowly missed getting run over by a truck. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

When Kagami unlocked his apartment door, he wasn’t sure what he was gonna find. 

Actually, that was a lie. He expected to find Aomine napping on the sofa and Sousuke and Makoto holed up in Sousuke’s room (and Kagami was going to lie to himself and assume they were studying). 

But that wasn’t what he got. 

Instead he heard voices in the kitchen. And this weird, high-pitched laughter. 

“I'm literally _so surprised_ Taiga’s as good as he is with Sousuke because when we were teen, oh my god he _hated_ kids.” 

Aomine's voice was deep, yet oddly bright as he spoke. Kagami listened in as he quietly closed the door and started to take off his shoes. 

“One time--back when we were third years in high school--we were at this outdoor court in a park near my house. And this group of kids, who couldn’t have been older than nine, the short one could’ve been like seven, walked over with this _little_ blue basketball. And I was about to like fall over because the little one holding the ball walked up to Taiga and said _‘play you for the court’_ and that _idiot--_ ” 

_Oh no_. Kagami knew this story. 

“--he looked down at the kid and said--and I remember this perfectly for some reason--he said ‘ _I could dunk you instead of the ball, squirt. That’s the only way you’re gettin’ on court’_ and he like hunched over the kid who was all over three feet tall to try and spook him. And the kid’s eyes _glowed,_ like _‘heck yea I wanna get dunked!’_ and all of two seconds later the entire group of kids completely pounced Taiga.” 

Kagami growled as he finally got out of his coat and walked into the living room. 

“He was _so mad_ the rest of the day. Apparently his arm was sore from picking kids up all afternoon. And he didn’t wanna go to that court anymore because whenever those kids spotted him they wanted to get picked up again.” 

“You almost gave them my address one time!” Kagami pointed at Aomine. The idiot was standing in the kitchen, with Sousuke and _the social worker(?)_ seated at the bar counter in front of him. 

Aomine looked up and over at Kagami, flashing him a bright smile. 

“Taiga!” he said, walking around the counter and over towards Kagami, “You’re here just in time to make dinner.” 

Kagami’s arm fell to his side and he scowled at the bluenette. 

“I hate that story, Dai,” he said as he walked past Aomine towards the kitchen, because, well, it _was_ time for him to start dinner. 

“Why? ‘Cause you sound cute in it?” Aomine asked after him. Kagami didn’t answer, he just nodded to Sousuke and turned to say hello to--Hino? Hiro! _That_ was her name. 

“Hi Hir--”

But he got interrupted. 

“I wasn’t actually giving them your address, I just told them that there was a court a block away from your apartment that we went to a lot, and that you lived across the street from that old time grocery store, and lived on the top floor--” 

“Hello Hiro-san,” Kagami bulldozed the end of Aomine’s story. He heard the bluenette _‘hmph’_ behind him, “Are you planning on staying for dinner?” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

Hiro did stay for dinner. And the social worker was like a _hawk_. Sousuke could feel her staring at him the entire time he stirred the bowl of eggs he was beating.

Kagami was seasoning the pork. Standing in the sweats and tee shirt combination he usually wore whenever he got back from work. 

And Aomine was--being sociable. 

And the social worker was eating up everything that came out of his mouth. It was really weird. 

“So you and Kagami-san have known each other, how long?” Hino asked from where she was sitting beside Aomine at the bar counter, a glass of water in front of her. 

“Ten years, we met playing basketball,” Aomine explained. He was leaning his head against his right palm, with his elbow on the counter. 

“My goodness. Do you watch Yamazaki-kun often?” Hiro asked. 

“Often enough,” Aomine shrugged, “Just whenever Taiga needs, but it’s usually all three of us, along with some of Zaki’s friends.” 

“Oh, of course! Yamazaki-kun, how are things with your new school? Are you making friends?” 

Sousuke looked up from the now very well mixed bowl of eggs. 

“Uhhmm, yeah…” 

“He’s pretty close with a boy who lives around here,” Aomine added on, “Really a great role model. And they study together at least two times a week.” 

“My goodness!” Hiro exclaimed again, “That’s just wonderful!” 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺**

It seemed the pork was a hit. Aomine was eating his third serving, Kagami was on his fifth, Sousuke was being a light weight--only just now finishing his second--and Hiro had stopped after one. Although the woman might weigh as much as a small bird, she didn’t eat like one.

“I have to say, Kagami-san,” Hiro said. She was seated in between Aomine and Sousuke, with Kagami sitting at the end of the counter to give everyone else room, “You’re taking amazing care of Yamazaki-kun, his grades are stable and he’s obviously in a very caring home. Right Yamazaki-kun?” 

Sousuke was in the middle of standing up and bringing his plate with him. He froze and just nodded dumbly. He hadn’t said much throughout dinner. And hadn’t seemed to mind, in the slightest. 

Sousuke made quick work of setting his plate in the sink, then looking up at Kagami, silently asking permission to get the heck outta Dodge. 

Kagami gave him a shrug, and apparently that was all the boy needed until he disappeared into the living room, and then into his bedroom. 

“Have you thought about adoption, Kagami-san, Aomine-san?” Hiro asked as soon as the latch on Sousuke’s door clicked. 

Aomine choked on the bite of cabbage in his mouth, and Kagami’s eyes almost fell out his head. 

“Uh, n-not seriously, I guess,” Kagami said, he set down his chopsticks and scratched the back of his neck, “Why do you ask?” 

“I’m only asking because Yamazaki-kun’s case is, well, an odd one. His father was just recently let out on parole but the chances of the man having visiting rights in the next few months, let alone custody in the next couple years is slim. Once Yamazaki-kun graduates high school, nothing’s stopping you from supporting Yamazaki-kun, but you’ll no longer have help from the state. And if the boy’s remotely interested in college he only has his biological father’s currently non-existent income to help with that and it’s simply--” 

“He’s been thinking about it,” Aomine said, but he was staring at Kagami when he said it. 

Kagami just found himself nodding. 

Because, well, he had thought about it. And that spare room wasn’t going anywhere. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

****

###  **Two and a half years ago. Minus a week:**

_“So I take it you like the shoes?” Kagami panted as the door clicked shut behind him and he fell back against it. His answer was a tongue in his mouth._

_Daiki’s hands were fisted in his maroon button-up, it was soft, a lot like that flannel Daiki had stolen from him._

_“Loved the shoes,” Dai panted out as he pulled away for a breath, before pressing Kagami closer to the door and smashing their mouths together again._

_“And the food,” Daiki groaned out when Kagami’s teeth caught his lips, “an’_ nng _the cake,” Kagami tilted his head, slipping his tongue between Dai’s hot lips and blindly looking for the buttons of the other man’s arguably nicer black dress shirt with a white collar and little stripe that followed the buttons, “And you, and your fucking_ tongue, _fuck.”_

_Daiki yanked Kagami off the door and they turned towards the bed in the middle of the room. A very familiar path of theirs. The bluenette’s shirt was half open by the time Daiki sat back onto the bed, still hanging onto Kagami’s shirt, starting up at Kagami in the room’s half-dim light._

_“Where’s my other present, Taiga?” Daiki asked._

_And_ fuck him _if those weren’t_ ‘fuck me’ _eyes._

_Kagami quickly shoved a hand into his back pocket and tossed his phone onto the bed. He’d need it later._

_Daiki didn’t seem to notice the action, no doubt the guy was too busy hauling Kagami into his lap. Kagami positioned his knees on either side of Daiki’s waist._

_“So,” Daiki said, still staring up at him, his hands unclench from Kagami’s shirt and alllll too gracefully started slipping open the buttons._

_“I gave_ you _a birthday ride,” Daiki said, “And I know your inner asshole juust_ looved _how I screamed because of that cock ring,” Kagami groaned at the memory, absent mindedly rolling his hips down onto Daiki’s pelvis._

_“What are you planning?” Dai hissed as he reached the last button of Kagami’s shirt._

_“Well,” Kagami said, raising his arms and shoving Daiki just enough for him to lie flat on the bed, “It involves you getting naked.”_

_“You fuckin’ tease,” Daiki growled as Kagami dived down to mouth at his neck._

_“Learned it from you,” Kagami hummed, “I used to just be a guy who wanted to get off, remember?”_

_“Oh, yeah,” Daiki said, his hands started to push Kagami’s shirt off his shoulders, “Then I sucked you off so slow once you almost cried.”_

_“I was a changed man.”_

_“Heh, yeah...mmmn shit,” Daiki grunted as Kagami nipped the soft, dark skin just below his jaw. And much less gracefully than his boyfriend, Kagami slid one hand between them to pull at the tiny buttons on Daiki’s shirt._

_“Gimme a hint?” Daiki asked._

_“You’re gonna_ love _it,” Kagami whispered, he leaned down to kiss the patch of dark skin he revealed as he continued to sloppily unbutton his boyfriend’s shirt, “And you’re gonna have a really hard time staying quiet.”_

_“Who says I give a shit about being quiet?” Daiki said as he pushed Kagami up a bit. The blunette stared at his chest for a moment before looking up, an eyebrow quirking, “No bra..?”_

_“No titty fucking this year?” he continued, hands sliding along Kagami’s bare pecs, pressing his fingertips into the muscle._

_Kagami chuckled, “Gotta save something for a holidays.”_

_Daiki grunted, “Mmm, guess so,” just as Kagami reached the last button of Aomine's shirt._

_Kagami leaned down and kissed Daiki. The bluenette opened his mouth instantly and tilted his head. Inviting him. Their lips melded together for a moment until Kagami pulled away again._

_Kagami moved his hands away from Dai’s now blessedly open shirt, and grabbed the other man around the waist and scooted him up on the bed._

_Daiki got the idea and moved himself until he was sitting up against the pillows of their bed. Kagami had just changed the cases this morning. Daiki bent his knees and Kagami climbed onto the bed so that he could kneel between his boyfriend’s legs, shrugging off his shirt the rest of the way as he did._

_Kagami tossed his shirt aside and let Daiki occupy himself with running his hands over Kagami’s shoulders as the redhead got to work on undoing the silver buckled belt Daiki was wearing. He made quick work of it, like he usually did. There was only one of Dai’s belts that Kagami didn’t get along with. And it wasn’t that the thing got stuck, nope, it was that he hadn’t been paying attention to how weirdly sharp the little metal tongue was as he had been undoing Daiki’s zipper with his teeth and that little bit of the belt and snagged and then split his lip._

_Kagami didn’t like thinking about that occurrence, even though Daiki had found it weirdly hot, Kagami’s lip bleeding. And had pouted when Kagami refused to still suck his dick with a bleeding lip._

_But the recently-turned-24 bluenette wasn’t wearing that belt so Kagami had Daiki’s pants halfway down his thighs in no time._

_“Ah, Taiga,” Daiki said as Kagami hooked his pointer fingers under the gray elastic of Aomine’s briefs, “You gonna give me a B-day BJ?”_

_“Nope,” Kagami hummed as he yanked Daiki’s briefs down in one swift motion. With familiar dexterity, he quickly had both the other man’s pants and underwear off his ankles and somewhere on their bedroom floor._

_Daiki breathed in sharply. He wasn’t completely hard, but that was gonna change soon enough._

_Kagami dragged his eyes up from Daiki’s tensed stomach and chest--only a strip of it was revealed because of his shirt--and up to his face._

_Kagami quickly reached forward, Daiki leaned towards him and as soon as Kagami had his hand in those soft blue locks he pulled Daiki in for another kiss._

_Their tongues ran together and Kagami helped Daiki wiggle out of the sleeves of his shirt. Daiki broke his lips away and asked another question._

_“What_ are _you gonna do, then?”_

_“Get you ready for your other present,” Kagami hummed, he ran his hands down Daiki’s sides. He leaned down and gently kissed his boyfriend’s collarbone._

_“You gonna tell me what it is?” Daiki asked._

_“I’m gonna do something better,” Kagami said, alternating between kissing down Daiki’s chest and talking, “I’m gonna give it to you…”_

_“Nh,” Dai huffed out, his hands gripped onto Kagami’s shoulders, “I like the sound of that.”_

_“Look under the pillow,” Kagami said. Then without warning, dropped his head down to mouth at Daiki’s left nipple._

_“Aw_ shit _,” Daiki gasped, “Mnn, Tai--” Kagami looked up as he ran his tongue over the bud in his mouth. Daiki had his head thrown back, and his right arm under the pillows, searching and messing up everything._

_Kagami moved down, he kissed Daiki’s stomach while his left hand gently ran his hand over his boyfriend’s thigh and the right blindly searched for his phone tangled in the sheets._

_Kagami watched as Daiki panted hard, his hand searching under the pillows. Then he froze, and Kagami smiled against his skin when a smirk worked its way onto Daiki’s face._

_Daiki pulled his arm out from under the pillows, holding a very distinctly shaped object in his hands, covered in wrapping paper printed with yellow, pink, and blue balloons._

_And a blue bow taped onto the head--uh--ti--_ end _._

_“Another one?” Daiki asked, his face was positively_ glowing. 

_“It gets better,” Kagami hummed, just as his left hand felt the corner of his phone. He snatched it up, swiped it open and a climactic little four seconds later the device started shaking in Daiki’s hands._

_“I love you,” Dai said, grinning down at Kagami, and he started messily wrapping the present to reveal a red vibrator._

_“I know,” Kagami said, he leaned down to kiss Daiki’s thigh and tapped the vibrator off as he did so._

_“Now we’ve gotta make sure it fits,” Kagami muttered against Daiki’s leg. Soon the redhead felt hands in his hair._

_“Oh, it’ll fit,” Daiki chuckled, “Y’know… I think_ now’s _the perfect time for a birthday BJ.”_

_“Oh, I’m not touching your dick ‘til I ride it,” Kagami glanced up at him with one of those_ ‘are you really an idiot?’ _looks. Only to see Daiki’s eyes roll back into his head a little bit._

_“I love you.”_

_“You already said that… and…” Kaami focused back on Dai’s thigh. It was so well defined, his skin was so soft. Kagami nipped it light and Daiki shivered as he huffed out,_

_“And?”_

_“And I haven’t even sung to you yet,” Kagami said, licking a stripe the rest of the way up Daiki’s inner thigh._

_“You mean you’re gonna…?”_

_“Mm,” Kagami hummed as he kissed the bottom of Daiki’s left butt cheek, “Dai, what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn’t hum happy birthday into your ass?”_

_“I love you_ so _much.”_

_“Mmnnh… mm…”_

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke was hunched over the bathroom sink, with the water running and his face wash foaming on his hands and his cheeks. 

He was just thinking about random stuff. About how the social worker had been even _cheerier_ when she left. And also how there was _no way_ he was letting Nanase steal away his boyfriend again when they left school tomorrow. 

_*Bzzt*_

And almost magically, Sousuke’s phone lit up on the counter. Sousuke glanced over at it to see Makoto’s profile picture and the message _**[hello :3]**_ on the screen. 

Maybe he had a second chance at-- _chatting_ tonight. Only this time he had a clue as to what he was doing. Aomine… advice was to be trusted right? 

Sousuke rubbed at his face a bit more before slashing some water on it. 

Aomine was ten years older than him. He had to have _some_ experience, after all he and Kagami had been tog--

Sousuke’s face snapped up to look at the mirror, his teal eyes were _huge_ and round with the sheer horror of his latest realization. 

Aomine knew all the shit he knew because--because he did that shit with _Kagami_. 

Sousuke spun around on his heel so that he could go throw up in the toilet. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke held Makoto's hand as they weaved through the crowds of kids leaving school. Sousuke would risk getting some weird looks if it meant Nanase didn't drag his boyfriend away again. 

Sousuke glanced over his shoulder. Rin was chatting with Nanase, and weirdly enough seemed to be enjoying himself. It really creeped Sousuke out. 

People talked and pushed past and Sousuke just focused on how warm Makoto’s hand was compared to the chilly February air. 

It was easy for him and Makoto to weave through the crowd, if only through sheer size boosted with Sousuke’s intimidation factor. But the same could not be said for the friends. Especially when _both_ Nanase and Rin were slow-ass fuckers. 

So Makoto and Sousuke would have to wait for their friends by the gate, which they were already pretty close to. 

“Would you mind if we went to Haru’s today?” Makoto asked him, leaning close so that Sousuke could actually hear him. 

Sousuke just shrugged as he sidestepped to get around a group of girls standing in the middle of the sidewalk. His shoulder clipped someone. 

Sousuke glanced to his right to mumble out a _“Sorry,”_ , looking down at thin teal eyes--

That he had to look up at before, if memory served him correctly. 

Sousuke froze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands together* let's get ready to fuckin' die!!!
> 
> ~idi2


	9. iRobot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I once was an ocean of soul and emotion, then you cut me open... Now all that I know it..." 
> 
> ~Jon Bellion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'sup

Sousuke’s hands shook as he reached for the heavy, dark blue curtain to the one window of his room, set into the wall his bed was flush against. 

He looked out the window at the still dark morning. 

It was snowing. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Kagami ran the palm of his left hand over his face, blindly reaching for the small towel crumpled on the counter to his right. Water dripped down his chin and his bangs were wet and cold against his forehead. 

The bathroom was dark. Apparently Kagami was so tired he forgot to turn the light on. Even though the switch was like… _right_ over by the door.

Kagami rubbed his face with the hand towel. He couldn’t tell what color it was. Probably white, if he was being honest. Kagami wiped his eyes again, attempting to wipe the sleep away. He was working the dinner shift tonight. It’d be a long Friday. 

Kagami stepped out of the bathroom. And for once he didn’t see a small blue light shining from down the hall. Sousuke wasn’t on the couch with his phone two inches away from his face this morning it seemed. Weird. The light in the hallway was washed out, faded. But still enough to see by. 

He looked down at the small towel in his hands as he walked back to his bedroom. 

It was actually blue. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke was quiet as he shouldered his backpack in the living room. Kagami was in the kitchen. He wasn’t gonna go out until after lunch. Probably. He needed to go grocery shopping _again_ , and he also had the chance of meeting Kuroko before heading off to work. 

“Have a good day at school,” Kagami said, he was leaning back against the counter by the sink. The maroon mug of coffee in his hands wafted up with steam. 

Sousuke only responded to him with a small head nod. 

Today the skinny, big shouldered kid wasn’t wearing a drop of makeup. Or a single earring. But he was wearing his dark blue beanie and heavy jacket, probably because it was particularly frigid this morning. 

The sounds of the apartment door opening and then it clicking shut echoed through the apartment. Kagami pushed himself off the counter and wandered into the living room. 

He took a sip of his coffee. Kagami didn’t drink his coffee black. But he didn’t add sugar. Just some cream. Like a _little_. Meanwhile there were people like Kuroko who added _vanilla_ flavored creamer and that shit was like sugar in a bottle and Kagami had gagged when his buddy had tried to get him to drink coffee with _that stuff. “Tried”_ as in forced, as in, had help from Murasakibara in order to pin Kagami when the titan visited a couple Christmas’ ago.

Kagami glanced over at the window. Gray, white-ish light was shining through. 

Kagami swallowed his perfectly bitter enough coffee as he noticed delicate snowflakes drifted across the street. 

It hadn’t snowed in awhile, now that he thought about it. 

Kagami smiled. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke’s knees almost gave out after he stepped into the empty elevator. 

Was the elevator _always_ empty in the morning?

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Kagami pulled his scarf away from his mouth and shook his shoulders against the vent that blowed on his as soon as he stepped into the grocery store. Kagami yanked the black baseball cap off his head. Which was actually a terrible choice against the cold, and as he walked away from the closing automatic doors Kagami rubbed at his cold ears. 

The snow that had dusted his shoulders was already melted. It wasn’t more than a snowy mist really. Not big fat flakes, but little crystals that covered everything in a white film before quickly melting away. 

Kagami snagged a green-handled shopping cart over at the little rows of carts and went on his way around the cereal aisle towards the meat section. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Peeling potatoes in front of the TV was a calming activity. 

Kagami was prepping some stuff for Sousuke so that he'd have something for dinner after Kagami left for work. 

Kagami had gotten through a few potatoes already and it was going by pretty fast. 

Kagami would head out as soon as Sousuke got home so that he could meet Kuroko at maji for his own early dinner before going straight to work. 

Kagami's phone buzzed beside his bowl of potato peelings. 

Kagami tilted his head to see the lit up screen. It was a message from Kuroko starting with **_[Aomine-kun has invi…]_**

Kagami narrowed his eyes, held both potato and peeler in one hand and nudged his phone to where he could unlock it with the other. 

The message read: 

**_[Aomine-kun has invited himself to Maji. And will come to pick you up in a few minutes.]_**

Kagami cracked a small smile. The bastard would be anywhere that involved free burgers. Or, what he _thought_ was gonna be free. 

Kagami slowly typed back _**[that freeloader]**_ having only one thumb available before clicking his phone off and going back to peeling. 

If Sousuke didn't fuck it up, the kid would be eating some nice beef stew tonight. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke’d fucked up.

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Kagami was pulling a red ballcap over his head as he walked towards his front door. And the moron who was loudly knocking on it on the other side. 

“Hey,” Kagami said as he swung the door open. His jacket was too warm to wear indoors but it was--

“ _Fucking_ freezing out there,” Aomine huffed, rubbing his black gloved hands together before bringing them up to cover his own face. 

The guy was dressed in dark blue jeans, heavy black boots, a worn out, puffy gray jacket Kagami remembers Kuroko buying for him a few years ago when the idiot refused to get rid of that _really_ old blue one. Along with a white knitted beanie on top of his head. 

“You didn’t have to come pick me up,” Kagami reminded the other man as he shut his door and fished out his keys to lock it. 

“Yeah I did,” Aomine huffed, “Now hurry up, I’m hungry.” 

“Like I’m not hungry too, moron,” Kagami said, shoving his fists into his heavy red jacket. It was main for rain but it a line and just sooo warm so he basically wore it whenever the _real_ cold came. 

He and Aomine walked shoulder to shoulder towards the elevator. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“Haah, oh shit it’s so warm oh my god finally, could you have walked any slower you idiot? I was about to die,” Aomine complained as he yanked off his white hat. 

“Oh just go find Kuroko,” Kagami huffed as he walked towards the order counter at the Maji Burger that was closest to the school Kuroko worked at. The school day had just about ended, so the little kindergarten teacher probably needed a break. 

Aomine huffed as he walked away from Kagami off into the seating area. The bluenette tried to seem casual but failed as he stretched to see over booth dividers and craning in his neck to check under tables as he hunted for their long-time disappearing act of a friend. 

Meanwhile Kagami just quietly stood in the surprisingly short line. A few minutes and a couple vacant stares from the cashier regarding Kagami’s order of _‘Twelve cheeseburgers, nine teriyaki, oh, annnnd a large size fries. And two colas. No--three.’_ Kagami was walking into the seating area with a mountain of food piled onto a tray and balancing all too precariously. 

He spotted Aomine instantly. He was a giant dark skinned guy with blue hair, kinda hard to miss. He was at a booth over by a window at a wall on the opposite side of the room. 

Kagami didn’t see Kuroko sitting at the opposite side of the booth until he was already sitting beside Aomine and the moron was reaching over him to snag as many burgers as he could hold. 

“Took you long enough,” Aomine grunted. Kagami shot him a look and bumped their shoulders together. 

“What kinda stick made its way up your ass today?” Kagami grunted as he slid the tray over between himself and Aomine. 

“I believe it’s the _absence_ of anything that’s been bothering him, Kagami-kun.” 

Kagami’s head snapped up to see a previously silent Kuroko sipping what was most likely a vanilla milkshake sitting across the table. At the same time he heard what must’ve been the after effect of Aomine getting a piece of burger lodged into his esophagus. 

Kagami _slowly_ turned his head to look at Aomine, who’s face looked kinda blue, but also kinda red and overall a shade of purple that seemed unhealthy, coughing into his hand. 

“Tetsu could you _not?_ ” Aomine asked between coughing fits, “You making sex jokes gives me nightmares. They never fuckin’ land.” 

Aomine rubbed at one of his eyes with the heel of his hand before looking over at Kagami and smirking at him, “Make sure to keep your eyes in your head, Bakagami.” 

Kagami nodded dumbly. He was a little bit busy staring, no, _examining_ Aomine as the bluenette set down his partially eaten burger back on the tray and shrugged off his jacket. 

He hadn’t thought about Aomine and sex in the same context for over a year now. 

When Aomine had first left, Kagami found himself thinking about their… _experimentation_ but after about three minutes thinking about Aomine just became a bad idea. 

Then there had been the bitter stage where Kagami had imagined Aomine forgetting about him and moving on in a _multitude_ of ways. 

But that had been so long ago… long before Aomine came _back_. 

“So Tetsu, how’ve the brats been?” Aomine asked as he grabbed a fits full of fries. Apparently he didn’t care that Kagami was staring at him. 

But Kagami cared. 

And his brain wasn’t setting off sirens like usual. 

He was officially fucked. 

****

###  **➺➺**

“So, uh, Aomine,” Kagami was staring down at the sidewalk and he and Aomine walked away from Maji, “I haven’t really, asked you a lot of questions.” 

Kagami glanced over at Aomine, just in time to see the slightly taller man’s back straighten. 

“Yeah?” Aomine asked. He was looked at the sidewalk ahead of them instead of over at Kagami. 

“Well, I have a question.” 

“And?” 

“I’m gonna ask it, Aho.” 

Aomine bristled, shooting him a glare that didn’t come close to landing when the guy’s nose was a little red and he was wearing a white knit hat. Plus there was still that tiny snowfall. Reminding everyone about to fucking cold it was. 

“I know _that_ ,” Aomine spat, “So just ask it already.” 

“How many people did you have sex with?” 

Okay so _that_ was blunt. 

Oops. 

Aomine stopped walking. He turned away so that he wasn't looking at Kagami. Meanwhile Kagami was trying not to blink so that he didn't miss anything. So that he saw the way Aomine's breath misted out in front of his face. He saw those tiny snowflakes floated around him. And how his eyebrows scrunched together. 

“Two.” 

Then Aomine started walking again, leaving Kagami standing in the sidewalk with a shattered sense of security that the earth didn’t do shitty things like crack open and swallow people.. 

But then Kagami’s brain--for once in his life--started working and Kagami quickly jogged to catch up with the tall, white hatted form. 

Kagami didn’t know what to do with that information. There wasn’t exactly a number he’d been assuming… or… hoping for. But for some reason _two_ didn’t seem right. 

This was Aomine. It couldn’t be two. 

Unless it was at once? But that was still a maximum of two. 

Something didn’t add up. 

Aomine was hot + single + being one tenth as lonely as Kagami was = two.

Nope. Just. Seriously? 

So instead of saying anything that would be helpful Kagami’s brain decided to turn off again and he blurted out _“Only two?”_

Aomine _instantly_ spun around, his dark blue eyes were downright _angry_. Completely at odds with the fact that there were tiny snowflakes floating around him. 

“Yeah, _two_ you fucking idiot. One girl, her name was Alyssa, and one guy and I don’t even remember his name.” 

“ _‘Alyssa’?_ That’s weirdly… American.” 

“Cuz she was,” Aomine said, scratching at the back of his neck. 

“You met an American?” Kagami asked. 

“I went to America.” 

_“You went to America?!”_

“I like it there! Jeez!!” Aomine said defensively, he looked away from Kagami. He looked less mad for about two seconds. Then he looked _really_ mad before spitting out “And what about you?” 

“I didn’t go to America,” Kagami answered dumbly. 

“I know _that_ ,” Aomine hissed at him before grabbing Kagami’s jacket collar and dragging him along so that they were back to walking. 

Then what Aomine was actually asking clicked in Kagami’s thick head, the sound echoing through it’s hallow depths. 

“OH. Three.” 

Aomine spun his head around and stared at Kagami, he loosened his grip on Kagami’s collar and slid his hand down his sleeve. 

And Kagami grabbed the other man’s clothed wrist. 

“They were all women, if knowing that matters to you… and they were all in that first year.” 

“What have you been doing with your life Kagami?” Aomine asked, his hand was limp in Kagami’s grip, “You live in the same apartment, have the same job… you got a kid. But that only started a few months ago.” 

“I haven’t been waiting around for you if that’s what you’re asking,” Kagami huffed. Then he realized that he and Aomine had stopped walking. Once again. 

So he pulled the other man along by the wrist. 

“But I wasn’t forgetting you either,” Kagami added, “Despite trying.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

The elevator ride up to his apartment was quiet. Kagami leaned back against the railing, contemplating if getting changed at home was really worth the extra couple minutes at work, if he had to risk something happening to his whites on the train. 

Aomine had walked with him all the way to Kagami’s building, then went on his way back to his own apartment. Or actually, Momoi’s. Damn he _still_ hadn’t visited Momoi since Aomine had come back. 

And with that thought, the elevator doors dinged open. 

Kagami pushed himself off the railing and out into the hallway, yawning as he did so. He squinched his eyes shut, then slowly opened them, reaching for his keys in the his heavy jacket pocket. 

Then he froze. 

There was somebody curled up in front of his door. A trembling form wrapped up in ripped jeans and a black beanie and chunky red boots with unnecessary buckles and a big, gray coat. 

Kagami started walking faster. 

He basically fell over into a kneel beside the person, a person who had their face buried in their knees and arms around their legs. But a person with stringy wine colored hair. 

“Rin…?” Kagami asked. 

Rin’s head slowly turned his head up to face Kagami. The boy’s face was _drenched._ Tears were falling out of his eyes, his nose was red and the undersides of his eyes were puffy, his bottom lip hung down revealing sharp teeth and wrinkling and contorting his chin. . 

“K-Kagami--!” Rin whined out, his head fell back onto his knees. 

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen Rin cry, in fact, he’d done it the first day Kagami had met the boy. 

But _this._

“Hey, hey,” Kagami muttered, he scooted closer to the skinny kid, placing his hands on Rin’s shaking shoulders, they weren’t big and boney like Sousuke’s were. In fact, everything about Rin seemed pretty delicate, apart from his teeth. 

“Let’s get inside, okay?” Kagami asked. Rin didn’t say anything, too busy getting snot on his knees, but Kagami inferred some extra rough shaking of his head as a nod. Kagami practically dragged the boy up the wall by his shoulders. Then Kagami wrapped his arm around Rin’s shoulders to keep him from just sinking down to the floor again as he got out his keys and hurriedly unlocked his door. 

After screwing taking of shoes for once, almost tripping over Sousuke’s giant boots, and then finally kinda throwing Rin on the couch, the kid and gotten substantially calmer. 

Meaning he was hysterically telling Kagami things and crying, instead of just hysterically crying. 

“S-Sou--!” he started, and instantly Kagami plopped down onto the sofa beside him, “He wasn’t at school today--an-an’ I thought he was _sick_ but he wouldn’t answer my texts or anything and like when he gets sick he usually is an idiot and comes to school anyway--!” Rin blabbered out everything in one big dump, not letting Kagami cut in. 

Only Kagami was only kind of listening because so far all he got was that Sousuke had _walked out the door this morning_ but hadn’t gone to _school_. 

“And _Makoto!_ He wouldn’t talk to me today! He wouldn’t talk t-t-o any _body_ , he just sat at his desk looking down the entire time, or looking back at Sou’s seat I don’t know where that idiot is but I know he isn’t skipping because he wouldn’t ditch _me! We always skip t-together…!”_

Kagami almost robotically put his hand on Rin’s shoulder as the boy pulled up his feet onto the sofa and hugged his knees again. 

Kagami pulled out his phone and started dialing. 

_If this fucker doesn’t pick up…._ Kagami thought to himself as he brought the phone to his ear and listened to the rings. 

It rang. 

And rang again. 

A couple more times. 

*click* 

It was silent. 

Kagami re-dial. 

All he heard apart from the monotone rings was Rin sniffling. 

“You didn’t see Sousuke at _all?_ ” Kagami questioned as he his called. Again. 

“N-no, and I tried so hard to get Makoto to talk to me but he just _wouldn’t_ like, _actually wouldn’t talk--and I don’t know what any of this_ means!! I mean is he okay?? Did he do something stupid and doesn’t want me to know because I’d tell you? Or are he and Makoto fighting and if so why is he being such a _drama queen!?!”_

“Rin, calm down,” Kagami said, he looked over at the boy to see that Rin had his hands in his hair. Looking over at the blank space beside Kagami’s tv. 

“I don’t know where he is… he isn’t here right?? I was knocking for so long and I didn’t get anything. Even had some neighbors come out and then after that I just started _crying_ and I don’t know where he is Kagami!! I don’t want to lose my best friend again!!” 

Kagami rolled his eyes as he stood up off the sofa. Rin was still blabbering but Kagami wasn’t even half listening anymore as he started to take off his coat and toed off his shoes--and also kicked Sousuke’s out of the way. 

“He’s probably just walking around”, Kagami called back to Rin as he hung up his coat, “Y’know, being all broody. Maybe he bombed a test of somethin’ and doesn’t wanna tell anybody. Or maybe him and Makoto are fighting. So he’s probably at the library or something to try and clear his head--” 

“KAGAMI--!” Rin said, and he sounded mad now. Kagami turned around from the coat rack to see Rin turned around on the sofa facing him, hands gripping the back harshly, his eyes were still a puffy mess but his _teeth_ were gleaming fiercely, “This is _Sousuke_ he doesn’t skip without me because he _can’t_ walk around alone--!! He’ll get _lost!”_

Kagami’s coat fell out of his hand. 

“Oh, fuck.” 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami had set up Rin on the sofa with his phone, a blanket and a quick cup of tea. 

His job was calling Kagami if he got _any_ message from Sousuke. _Anything._ Meanwhile Kagami was in his coat and shoes all over again, beanie back on his head as he stepped out of his building and took out his phone once again. But this time he didn’t call Sousuke. 

And it only took two rings for this bastard to pick up. 

“Dai, Sousuke’s gone.” 

_“Where are you right now?”_

****

###  **➺➺**

The sight of Aomine leaning against a school gate, hands in his pockets and a deep line between his eyebrows slapped Kagami upside the head with some nostalgia. 

Only, Aomine wasn’t some scrawny teenager in a lazily tied tie who wasn't trying to look like he hadn’t ran as fast as he did to get there before Kagami’s practice ended. 

And, well, nostalgia was a nice little break from the seething anger that came with looking for one’s idiot foster kid. 

“Have you gone inside yet?” Kagami asked when Aomine turned to look at him and slid off the wall. 

“Nope, don’t think they’re just gonna let some random guy in. And flashing my badge wouldn’t really help.” 

“Might not be the worst idea,” Kagami said as he slid through the still-open gate. 

“Hoo yeah, a police officer randomly showing up at a school looking for the big, scary leather-fetish kid, no red flags,” Aomine said. Kagami just shrugged as he walked towards the school doors. 

“Taiga--hey wait a sec!” Aomine said from behind him, “How ‘bout we walk slow. And we don’t--y’know, look like we’re about to murder people?” 

“The only person I’m gonna murder is Sousuke,” Kagami said. The school’s front yard was pretty bare and the actual building was just a big rectangle that blocked out the setting sun like some evil fortress where you’d walk in and be shoved into a small, wooden seat with a too short desk cutting off circulation on your thighs and rewarding you with the slow torture of feeling your eyes slowly melt out of your own head to the sound of a 40 year old history teacher who had forgotten life’s meaning. 

Ah, highschool, just like he remembered it. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Sousuke had been counted absent. His homeroom teacher hadn’t seen him, counted him absent. Same with all the others. Didn’t come in later. Wasn’t seen. 

Kagami had wanted to grab the lady who sat behind a desk in the office and demand to see security footage. But Aomine had promptly dragged him the fuck out of the building. 

“I’m gonna get the Tachibanas’ address from Rin,” Kagami announced as soon as they were back out in the cold, “There aren’t many places he’d go, I mean? If he’d gotten lost he would’ve at _least_ called Rin, or just turned around to try to go home. Or maybe he convinced Makoto to skip with him. Y’know I don’t even care that he’s skipping--I mean we did it all the damn time-- but _Rin’s_ got me so worked up about this. Like what the hell? Now it’s a _thing_ in my brain!” 

“Taiga--” 

“He’s one hundred percent with Makoto, I’m sure,” Kagami said as he typed away on his phone to Rin, “And I’m sure the kid told his parents that he was gonna be home late-- _’studying’_ or whatever bad lie because he’s a _smart_ kid unlike Sousuke who doesn’t even bother lying--” 

“Taiga! Just chill!” Aomine snapped when they were about to reach the school gate. 

“How am I not chill?” Kagami snapped back, spinning on his heel in the lightly snow covered ground to look back at Aomine. 

“You usually talk two words a time Taiga,” Aomine said plainly, shoving his hands into his pockets, breathing out heavily into the cold, “So just shut up for a second, we both know he’s fine.” 

“Here’s a plan,” Kagami said, “You head back to the apartment,” he fished in his pocket and tossed his keys to Aomine. Who caught them without even blinking, “I head to the Tachibana’s, if he stumbles back you call me. Like you even get a _whiff_ that he was at the apartment you call me.” 

Aomine nodded, “You won’t blow up in front of Zaki with his boyfriend in the room, will ya?” 

“Oh no,” Kagami shook his head, “Why would I subject Makoto to that?” 

They both pushed through the gates and stepped out onto the sidewalk. There was a bright stripe of sunlight from the setting sun there, it was distinctly warmer. 

Aomine exhaled again, staring down at the ground, at the line between where the sunlight reached the ground and the shadowed edge of the school’s roof began, “C’ya at home,” he said. 

“C’ya!” Kagami responded, waving without looking over his shoulder. 

Snow looked weird in setting sunlight, almost like it should be melting in mid-air with warm rays on it, but it refused too. 

****

###  **➺➺**

Kagami was walking down the hallway of an old, _old_ apartment building. Not that it wasn’t in good shape. It’s just that if there were ghosts anywhere, it was in that elevator. 

He was convinced the buttons had been staring at him. 

Yellow light figures hung in the middle of the hallway ever couple doors. The carpet was old and green, and the walls had the pales yellow of wallpapers--like a white that was just _really friggin’ old._

Kagami looked down at his phone and followed the numbers and as he reached it he knocked. 

Rin had messaged him saying that Makoto lived in one room but would probably be at this other one. 

Kagami was waiting for the door to the other one to open. 

It did. 

And there was a half naked boy on the other side of it. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

Sousuke stared up at the sky. It was gray. Dull. Everything was slow. The clouds seemed to move robotically. The snow was falling again, tiny and misty. Fleeting down and landing on the concrete roof. 

Sousuke felt… empty. Cold. Thoughtless. 

Numb. 

Yesterday he’d been _angry,_ , wild, _passionate._

This morning he’d been _scared_ with blood thrumming through him. 

But as he looked up at the cold sky, he felt just like it. As if there’d been this ocean of feelings inside him, then he’d been cut open and it had all washed out of him. 

_God_ , why was he so emo? 

He felt like he hadn’t breathed all day. He felt like he just needed to lie on this roof forever. 

He hadn’t left this exact spot since the start of school this morning. 

After Makoto had run for the door, he’d just sat down. As the hours passed he’d laid down. 

And here he stayed. 

The concrete was hard. And _cold_ against his back. But he muscled through with strength he didn’t have. Today proved that. He was so-- _ughghgh._

And _there he goes again_ with the emo shit. 

His silent bubble of snowflake watching was shattered by the sound of the door to the roof opening. 

Sousuke’s brain told him he should jump to his feet and explain why he was there and why he was sorry and why it’d never happen again. But he barely felt like turning his head, so that was all he did. 

_Aomine_ was slowly closing the door behind him. He stepped out across the concrete roof and left foot prints in the thin dusting of snow behind him. 

His nose was red, his hand were at the pockets of a giant, puffy grey jacket and he did _not_ look happy. 

“Can’t believe you stole my _fucking_ spot,” was all he said to Sousuke. 

****

###  **➺➺➺➺➺➺**

###  **Two years and four months ago:**

_*Riingg--Riinng--Rri--*_

_“Hey mom, it’s Daiki. Haha, yeah of course I’d call, it’s almost Christmas. I’m not_ that _horrible of a son. Ugh, ‘course Satsuki called first.”_

_“I’m doing good. The promotions sucking the life outta me but it’s not that bad. I get to relax at home.”_

_“Well yeah, but I’ve got Taiga. Pfft, of course he is.”_

_“Yeah mom, he’s great actually. Ah, no, he’s going to visit his family after new years. His mom’s birthday is in January so it works out… and uh, mom…”_

_“I’ll be going with him. Maybe. Probably.”_

_“...Well mom-- No that’s not what I said. Taiga’s mother isn’t more important than you.”_

_“What I’m trying to say… we’re thinking about moving. Or we’ll be looking. A little. Mostly just tourism, for me at least. Good thing Taiga already knows everything about L.A. Won’t get lost too easy. And I had a _blast_ last time, it’s so pretty there.” _

_“Ah, yeah, true. Usually not two bachelors do but…”_

_“But mom…”_

_…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay YES it's short but expect chapter 10 to never end so it all works out 
> 
> ~idi2


End file.
